@Luckyguy1983 Parliament can simply pass primary legislation to instruct the courts on how to deal with these situations without taking away rights from everyone else. That is the point of Parliament and is literally their job. Taking a sledgehammer to a screw is not the answer to everything.
For example, you could disapply convention rights to deportation proceedings. That sounds quite heavy handed and maybe it is but the whole point of Parliament is to debate these difficult subjects, not simply sweep away all of our other rights because the alternative is too hard.
There is a deeper question here, which I'll admit that I don't have the knowledge to pursue, which is the concept of European 'rights' granted by the state, and the English concept of liberty, which is the right not to be interfered with at all unless you're committing a crime. We had a very highly evolved and layered constitution in the UK, that gave British people liberty. Taking away that liberty but tacking on some 'human rights' is broadly what I feel has happened to our constitution in recent decades, and I don't feel it's a positive development.
A very interesting question.
Liberty is such a slippery concept, though. I'm completely with you that one of the most important aims of the constitution is to prevent state interference in that which should be the purview of the individual, family, community etc. And this prevention needs constant watchfulness.
But whose liberty? How does eg the weakening of union power (which is something I am guessing you would advocate) impact on the worker who lacks economic power and so is exploited through eg a zero hours contract?
Are they not entitled to liberty as much as you or I? We have little choice but to operate within a capitalist system and within that system I find it very hard to justify defining liberty in just a negative way i.e. freedom from interference. Instead I think it also needs to be defined positively i.e. freedom to flourish by being protected from exploitation.
It's an aside not an answer, but I think our proud habit of jaywalking in this country is one of the few remnants of English/British liberty. If it's safe to cross the road, we will ruddy well cross it.
difficult to jaywalk in England, as it's usually legal for pedestrians to cross the road. except on motorways, which I don't recommend no matter how proud it makes you feel.
Now I’m picturing some of those Freemen types proudly striding across a motorway - “Exercising our Rights under Magna Carta”….
Eh, maybe. They are riding pretty high at the moment but it is the sort of by-election a government might defend - yes they are well down from the GE, but it also isn't like it's the Tories defending a 13 year government.
I would never have expected the United States of America to line up with North Korea to vote against essentially every liberal democracy
This is not business as usual, despite claims on here that it is.
Looks like the world's largest democracy abstained...
Lots of the Commonwealth did too.
Most of the non western world isn't that bothered about Ukraine, for them it is a regional war on another continent much like we might view an African conflict. As Trump's victory shows that also goes for many Americans. Hence we as Europeans must take the lead on our own security
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
I think it’s use is for cases where the law is being stretched extended into topics it was not intended to cover. We see this a bit with concerns over the assisted dying bill. And people worry about giving the state more powers to snoop on citizens as the reasons it happens and who gets to do it will inevitably grow.
You do realise that is the entire benefit of the English common law? The judge-created law that was the bedrock of the Britain that created an empire? The bedrock of the golden era many wish to go back to?
Almost the entire modern law of negligence was created by judges, not Parliament. Lawyers stretching the law is the English tradition.
I love that case. For lawyers it is presumably a very well known story being fundamental to negligence, but I read it in a book called 'Is eating people wrong?' about impactful legal cases There is much to learn about life and law from the snail case. At the top of the list must be the almost-ridiculous and haphazard way in which the common law develops and grows. Reliance on the purely fortuitous series of events that occured to May Donoghue in Paisley seems such a strange way to achieve a just system of legal rules...we owe a debt of gratitude to the persistence not only of Walter Leechman but also to David Stevenson, both of whom refused to let pragmatic compromise get in the way of what they thought was important moral principle.
Some important principles can get established when persistent people focus on things that really should not matter as much as they think, and so push through to conclusions which rarely get to a point of final outcome.
Sir Edward Coke, the Lord Chief Justice, in 1610 stated in a judgment (Bonham's Case):
"the common law will control Acts of Parliament, and sometimes adjudge them to be utterly void; for when an Act of Parliament is against common right and reason, or repugnant, or impossible to be per- formed, the common law will control it and adjudge such Act to be void.”
Fwor - how woke. Down with this modern lawfare and up the will of the people.
King James wasn’t so hot on Coke
Coke was pre civil war and Glorious Revolution before Parliament had even asserted its supremacy over the Crown
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
I think it’s use is for cases where the law is being stretched extended into topics it was not intended to cover. We see this a bit with concerns over the assisted dying bill. And people worry about giving the state more powers to snoop on citizens as the reasons it happens and who gets to do it will inevitably grow.
You do realise that is the entire benefit of the English common law? The judge-created law that was the bedrock of the Britain that created an empire? The bedrock of the golden era many wish to go back to?
@darrengrimes_ · 8h Back then we didn’t have much. Life was hard, work was dangerous and times were tough. But my God at least we had each other — the country was united. In my lifetime that has been thoroughly lost.
@Luckyguy1983 Parliament can simply pass primary legislation to instruct the courts on how to deal with these situations without taking away rights from everyone else. That is the point of Parliament and is literally their job. Taking a sledgehammer to a screw is not the answer to everything.
For example, you could disapply convention rights to deportation proceedings. That sounds quite heavy handed and maybe it is but the whole point of Parliament is to debate these difficult subjects, not simply sweep away all of our other rights because the alternative is too hard.
There is a deeper question here, which I'll admit that I don't have the knowledge to pursue, which is the concept of European 'rights' granted by the state, and the English concept of liberty, which is the right not to be interfered with at all unless you're committing a crime. We had a very highly evolved and layered constitution in the UK, that gave British people liberty. Taking away that liberty but tacking on some 'human rights' is broadly what I feel has happened to our constitution in recent decades, and I don't feel it's a positive development.
A very interesting question.
Liberty is such a slippery concept, though. I'm completely with you that one of the most important aims of the constitution is to prevent state interference in that which should be the purview of the individual, family, community etc. And this prevention needs constant watchfulness.
But whose liberty? How does eg the weakening of union power (which is something I am guessing you would advocate) impact on the worker who lacks economic power and so is exploited through eg a zero hours contract?
Are they not entitled to liberty as much as you or I? We have little choice but to operate within a capitalist system and within that system I find it very hard to justify defining liberty in just a negative way i.e. freedom from interference. Instead I think it also needs to be defined positively i.e. freedom to flourish by being protected from exploitation.
It's an aside not an answer, but I think our proud habit of jaywalking in this country is one of the few remnants of English/British liberty. If it's safe to cross the road, we will ruddy well cross it.
difficult to jaywalk in England, as it's usually legal for pedestrians to cross the road. except on motorways, which I don't recommend no matter how proud it makes you feel.
Now I’m picturing some of those Freemen types proudly striding across a motorway - “Exercising our Rights under Magna Carta”….
Hang on, isn't he always saying how crap we are now and going in the wrong direction? I mean, I get he needs to criticise the government of the day, but the general impression I get from Reform is also that we need to accept out decline and to stop fooling ourselves about it (and paying too much to fool ourselves)
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
James Matthews of Sky reporting on Trump Macron meeting says it is all about change, radical change, change that is happening too quickly for Macron inside that meeting and Starmer when he comes here on Thursday, Europe and the world more broadly
Matthews addresses the reality that so many are really struggling to comprehend
When faced with rapid change that is bad - and Trump pulling support from Ukraine, threatening to annex Greenland and Panama and throwing around the threat of blanket tariffs are indeed bad - you can either go with it, or you can resist and fight back. Or you stand like a rabbit in the headlights.
Quite a lot of people seem to think that the only option is to get with the programme. If they don’t, they are either in denial or have TDS. No. Standing like a rabbit in the headlights isn’t a good idea, but fighting back absolutely is.
You can only fight back if you have strength and at present Europe has never looked weaker and that is worrying
Indeed Trump affirmed his so called reciprocal tariffs on Europe with Macron beside him
A lot of hard thinking is needed across Europe and the ROW, but it really does look as if Trump is welcoming Putin back into the world through the lens of his business interests and not geo political stability with untold consequences
We are in a very scary place and it is not going to become less scary anytime soon
Merz actually looked strong with his win last night, certainly more so than Scholz has, as does Macron who rang rings around Trump at their interview today. Both focused on developing European military forces and continuing to fund Ukraine. Starmer is a wet blanket but then Trump just treats the UK as a pet now, his main rivals are the EU and China, his main allies Israel, Russia and Argentina.
Trump's US is therefore heading for a tariff war with China as well as the EU, it might be able to win a trade war against one of the other top 3 global economies but both?
I think Starmer has a big call to make. Whether, in the face of Trump's perfidy, to continue to try to be a "bridge" or try another approach.
I can't help feeling that a tough, even bloody-minded, united stance by UK, France, Germany and Canada might be a better option. The Canadians hate him anyway. We now have a new more decisive German chancellor. Macron is no pushover and the French, anyhow, don't do fealty to the Americans. Escalate. Swagger. Face up to him. Trump is a bully - return the favour.
Whatever he decides, Starmer will be trailing along behind Trump or Macron, Merz and even Trudeau or Carney.
We are now largely also rans in the top tier of global politics
Wtf is wrong with everyone. Canada, UK, Germany, France together can cause a heck of stink if we bother to.
Russia got bogged down by Ukraine (lol) and the Americans have gone nuts. Let's assert some calm steely sobriety.
I agree, explain which form or welfare that the UK, Germany, France and Canada should cut to fund this new found "steely sobriety" if you can't then it's all words.
We can no longer pay for millions of people to sit at home and not work because they have self diagnosed "anxiety" and managed to convince a dimwitted assessor that they need PIP.
Pensions.
Next question please.
Even cancelling the triple lock won't get us to 3% for defence, ending early retirement in the public sector and a 40% haircut on current and future DB pensions might though.
As I mentioned last week, to double defence spending to around 4% of GDP would cost the UK about £45 billion. It is estimated that cancelling the triple lock would save around between £8 and £10 billion a year. Making working pensioners pay NI on their pay would make around £1.5 billion a year. So those two measures lone would get you about 25% of your additional defence spending.
Increase the state pension age:
60-65 +6 months 50-59 +1 year 40-49 +1.5 years under 40 +2 years
Not an immediate cash flow benefit but a big future saving.
Also end or reduce pension credits.
Imagine how much we could save if we just killed everyone when they hit their late 50s. I've never read the original novel that Logans Run was based on. Maybe it was very heavy on actuaries, accountancy, pensions and the funereal services.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
Lawfare isn't an Americanism, it refers to a class of people who think they know best but are unable to get elected so attempt to impose their will on the people without democratic consent. It's tightly related to technocratic rule.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Hang on, isn't he always saying how crap we are now and going in the wrong direction? I mean, I get he needs to criticise the government of the day, but the general impression I get from Reform is also that we need to accept out decline and to stop fooling ourselves about it (and paying too much to fool ourselves)
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
Lawfare isn't an Americanism, it refers to a class of people who think they know best but are unable to get elected so attempt to impose their will on the people without democratic consent. It's tightly related to technocratic rule.
I think it's a term that would be easy to abuse to refer to any kind of legal challenge to a government decision, but all but the most extreme accept we should have some of that, it is another of those areas where people might quibble of the precise term but we kind of know what is meant - the politics by other means, intentional frustrating through the courts, that kind of thing. It's whether the line is presently in the right place on how easy that is in certain situations.
Hang on, isn't he always saying how crap we are now and going in the wrong direction? I mean, I get he needs to criticise the government of the day, but the general impression I get from Reform is also that we need to accept out decline and to stop fooling ourselves about it (and paying too much to fool ourselves)
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Hang on, isn't he always saying how crap we are now and going in the wrong direction? I mean, I get he needs to criticise the government of the day, but the general impression I get from Reform is also that we need to accept out decline and to stop fooling ourselves about it (and paying too much to fool ourselves)
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
Let loose the Musk Inseminator....
"Ejaculate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances!"
Hang on, isn't he always saying how crap we are now and going in the wrong direction? I mean, I get he needs to criticise the government of the day, but the general impression I get from Reform is also that we need to accept out decline and to stop fooling ourselves about it (and paying too much to fool ourselves)
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
It's amazing how that sense of inevitable decline has also hammered Chinese birth rates.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
James Matthews of Sky reporting on Trump Macron meeting says it is all about change, radical change, change that is happening too quickly for Macron inside that meeting and Starmer when he comes here on Thursday, Europe and the world more broadly
Matthews addresses the reality that so many are really struggling to comprehend
When faced with rapid change that is bad - and Trump pulling support from Ukraine, threatening to annex Greenland and Panama and throwing around the threat of blanket tariffs are indeed bad - you can either go with it, or you can resist and fight back. Or you stand like a rabbit in the headlights.
Quite a lot of people seem to think that the only option is to get with the programme. If they don’t, they are either in denial or have TDS. No. Standing like a rabbit in the headlights isn’t a good idea, but fighting back absolutely is.
You can only fight back if you have strength and at present Europe has never looked weaker and that is worrying
Indeed Trump affirmed his so called reciprocal tariffs on Europe with Macron beside him
A lot of hard thinking is needed across Europe and the ROW, but it really does look as if Trump is welcoming Putin back into the world through the lens of his business interests and not geo political stability with untold consequences
We are in a very scary place and it is not going to become less scary anytime soon
Merz actually looked strong with his win last night, certainly more so than Scholz has, as does Macron who rang rings around Trump at their interview today. Both focused on developing European military forces and continuing to fund Ukraine. Starmer is a wet blanket but then Trump just treats the UK as a pet now, his main rivals are the EU and China, his main allies Israel, Russia and Argentina.
Trump's US is therefore heading for a tariff war with China as well as the EU, it might be able to win a trade war against one of the other top 3 global economies but both?
I think Starmer has a big call to make. Whether, in the face of Trump's perfidy, to continue to try to be a "bridge" or try another approach.
I can't help feeling that a tough, even bloody-minded, united stance by UK, France, Germany and Canada might be a better option. The Canadians hate him anyway. We now have a new more decisive German chancellor. Macron is no pushover and the French, anyhow, don't do fealty to the Americans. Escalate. Swagger. Face up to him. Trump is a bully - return the favour.
Whatever he decides, Starmer will be trailing along behind Trump or Macron, Merz and even Trudeau or Carney.
We are now largely also rans in the top tier of global politics
Wtf is wrong with everyone. Canada, UK, Germany, France together can cause a heck of stink if we bother to.
Russia got bogged down by Ukraine (lol) and the Americans have gone nuts. Let's assert some calm steely sobriety.
I agree, explain which form or welfare that the UK, Germany, France and Canada should cut to fund this new found "steely sobriety" if you can't then it's all words.
We can no longer pay for millions of people to sit at home and not work because they have self diagnosed "anxiety" and managed to convince a dimwitted assessor that they need PIP.
Max, you might have missed my position that we don't actually need to increase spending. We have a medium sized stick but we don't use it, so what's the point in a big one? Alongside our allies, we actually have a caber to toss.
Let's use what we have and provide a negotiation backstop to Ukraine - if they don't like the deal then from April it's the RAF over Kyiv, the Navy in the Black Sea and a battalion or two on the front line.
Anyway, your solution doesn't get anywhere near enough, once you dig into the welfare stats properly. Our employments rates are actually pretty decent, with most people not working either early retired or students.
If it does actually kick off in a major way, I remind you that the top rate of tax was over 90% during the war and into the 50s and 60s.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
When senators Manchin and Sinema gave up on the Dems that should have been a warning sign to them.
Instead they were happy to wave the centrists goodbye.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
This is why the broligarchs are going to win. They control the truth. Each year a couple of percent will be converted to their reality, so sooner or later we shall end up with their puppets in power across Europe too.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
And yet Burnham himself seems to be able to connect with even Tory parts of GM.
All is projection. Once you see that it's easier to understand. Once you extend that to your own opinions and prejudices, well. Then it becomes interesting.
TSE - If you are looking for a header, let me suggest you run a competition for the best political jokes, in various categories. Here's one I have been telling recently:
A Russian gets drunk, and begins marching around the Kremlin, yelling, "Putin is a madman! Putin is a madman!"
Naturally, he is arrested, given a quick trial, and a sentence of eleven years.
Why eleven years? One year for insulting the glorious leader of Russia -- ten years for revealing a state secret.
(For the record, I read a very similar joke about Khrushchev years and years ago.)
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
always someone elses fault isn't it?
The Dems chose to live in their comfort zone and lose rather than deal with reality.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
This is why the broligarchs are going to win. They control the truth. Each year a couple of percent will be converted to their reality, so sooner or later we shall end up with their puppets in power across Europe too.
You say this, but what is BlueSky if not an early thermostatic reaction to what Twitter/X was becoming/has become under Musk? Which itself could be seen as one radicalised man's reaction to the idea - funneled into his feed -Twitter had become a liberal echo chamber.
The young don't really use it, or Facebook. Those they do have their own issues with radicalisation in all directions (and the CCP) - but aren't as obviously pro-Trump/broligarch. Both's current big advantage are their pre-existing institutional status. Twitter because it was every media and major organisation's comms channel, Facebook as it has all your photos and address book. But those erode over time as young people don't bother or people leave/use it less.
Broadsheet journalists are already tending to shift towards Bluesky for the simple reason their links aren't suppressed and thus get much more clickthroughs on a comparably smaller amount of followers than on X. It's also simply not used in the same way for newsgathering now as isn't as basically reliable.
There are obvious alternatives if push comes to shove - and likely will be more if you consider BlueSky has basically been spun out from anti-Musk Twitter employees. Who's to say the next big platform specifically sells itself as the anti-X or Facebook, either via data protection or safety measures, or rebelliously skewing in another direction? It's what you might be working on if Zuckerberg or Musk had just laid you off.
Truth is, the more the broligarchs skew their platforms in favour of misinformation and their desires the more they will create an appetite for the alternatives. It won't happen immediately of course. Not quick enough for Ukraine. But every action creates a reaction and you will see a rebellion against it, just because it's more fun than being spoonfed bullshit.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
And yet Burnham himself seems to be able to connect with even Tory parts of GM.
He does. I said his wing of the political spectrum, rather than him specifically. Not least because he understands why Labour's vote is bleeding away in llaces like Rochfale and Leigh, and doesn't always take the obvious Labour-Party-2025 position.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
Merz won though as he shifted the CDU right on immigration in large part.
Non woke Biden of course beat Trump, woke Harris didn't. Burnham won the Greater Manchester Mayoralty by a big margin, winning lots of white working class votes in the process
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
always someone elses fault isn't it?
Do I blame the Dems for Trump? Absolutely I do. So totally avoidable. Blaming Trump for Trump is daft. He wanted to win, and got what he wanted. And similarly I blame Merkelism for the AfD, and 20 years of unpopular pro-immigration policies in the UK for Reform.
Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM · 44m The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
So is he now advocating welfarism, wokery and immigration be controlled ?
Yes. The reason the AfD is the official opposition has been the utter failure of Merkelism, in particular tge problems associated with massive immigration from the Middle East. And the reason we now have Trump is that the democrats offered a senile old man followed by a woman so oit of touch with the concerns of modern America she made Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton. The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
And yet Burnham himself seems to be able to connect with even Tory parts of GM.
He does. I said his wing of the political spectrum, rather than him specifically. Not least because he understands why Labour's vote is bleeding away in llaces like Rochfale and Leigh, and doesn't always take the obvious Labour-Party-2025 position.
That's partly the benefits of being a mayor though? The Labour/government position has to balance all kinds of competing factors. They might balance them well or badly, but whatever way, they can't be attuned to the needs and desires of voters in GM in the same way.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
Twitter has gone from a sewer to a cesspit. Bluesky may be a liberal echo chamber, but frankly that looks far less horrific. I yield to almost noone on here in my despisal of woke. But Twitter is actually considerably worse than woke.
Reconvening the outgoing parliament? I didn't know that was an option.
"German election winner Friedrich Merz is exploring ways to loosen the country’s strict borrowing cap by reconvening the outgoing parliament where mainstream parties still hold a supermajority. Speaking to journalists on Monday, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union said he regretted that far right and far left parties secured more than a third of the seats in the Bundestag, giving them the power to block any constitutional changes, including to the so-called debt brake." (£)
TSE - If you are looking for a header, let me suggest you run a competition for the best political jokes, in various categories. Here's one I have been telling recently:
A Russian gets drunk, and begins marching around the Kremlin, yelling, "Putin is a madman! Putin is a madman!"
Naturally, he is arrested, given a quick trial, and a sentence of eleven years.
Why eleven years? One year for insulting the glorious leader of Russia -- ten years for revealing a state secret.
(For the record, I read a very similar joke about Khrushchev years and years ago.)
They’ve been telling that joke since Stalin died. At least.
Why do KGB dog teams always have 2 men for each dog?
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
David Cameron had Twatter clocked 15 years ago. Calling it a cesspit is too kind. Only fools or lazy journalists stay on it, giving it a credibility it doesn't deserve, or reference it for anything other than what the idiocracy thinks or Russian or Chinese bots are trying to push on the rest of us.
And if similar apps need serious censorship to avoid becoming like it, doesn't that tell us something about the whole concept?
Just as cryptocurrencies are made for gamblers and money-launderers, Twitter and similar are perfect for the loudest, shoutiest idiots with the most extreme opinions, liars, scammers and Russian and Chinese propaganda.
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
I think it’s use is for cases where the law is being stretched extended into topics it was not intended to cover. We see this a bit with concerns over the assisted dying bill. And people worry about giving the state more powers to snoop on citizens as the reasons it happens and who gets to do it will inevitably grow.
You do realise that is the entire benefit of the English common law? The judge-created law that was the bedrock of the Britain that created an empire? The bedrock of the golden era many wish to go back to?
Almost the entire modern law of negligence was created by judges, not Parliament. Lawyers stretching the law is the English tradition.
I love that case. For lawyers it is presumably a very well known story being fundamental to negligence, but I read it in a book called 'Is eating people wrong?' about impactful legal cases There is much to learn about life and law from the snail case. At the top of the list must be the almost-ridiculous and haphazard way in which the common law develops and grows. Reliance on the purely fortuitous series of events that occured to May Donoghue in Paisley seems such a strange way to achieve a just system of legal rules...we owe a debt of gratitude to the persistence not only of Walter Leechman but also to David Stevenson, both of whom refused to let pragmatic compromise get in the way of what they thought was important moral principle.
Some important principles can get established when persistent people focus on things that really should not matter as much as they think, and so push through to conclusions which rarely get to a point of final outcome.
We should send a copy of the Declaration of Arbroath to Zelensky so he can forward it to Trump.
On the European front, by 1320 Scottish relations with the papacy were in crisis after the Scots defied papal efforts to establish a truce with England. When the pope excommunicated Robert I and three of his barons, the Scots sent the Declaration of Arbroath as part of a diplomatic counter-offensive. The pope wrote to Edward II urging him to make peace, but it was not until 1328 that Scotland's independence was acknowledged.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
This is why the broligarchs are going to win. They control the truth. Each year a couple of percent will be converted to their reality, so sooner or later we shall end up with their puppets in power across Europe too.
Makes the point that Zuckerberg complained recently that Biden administration put pressure on Facebook - but Facebook resisted it. Whereas they have totally caved to Trump.
Does anyone still use Facebook?
Boycott that shit too and don't let them use your data!
At the end of the day these people spread lies because it makes them money.
Every time lawyers block government policy it probably increases support for populists.
Maybe, but the English common law and the British constitution generally has a long history and tradition of lawfare and judicial creativity.
Parliament should legislate better, and go back and fix loopholes where lawyers find them. That is the way Parliament is intended to work, we are a parliamentary democracy after all, rather than a presidential democracy, and always have been.
“Lawfare”: please let’s not let yet another culture war term from America come and fester in our own politics. That one is more toxic than most, because it implies the rule of law shouldn’t apply to big strong men who shout loudly.
I think it’s use is for cases where the law is being stretched extended into topics it was not intended to cover. We see this a bit with concerns over the assisted dying bill. And people worry about giving the state more powers to snoop on citizens as the reasons it happens and who gets to do it will inevitably grow.
You do realise that is the entire benefit of the English common law? The judge-created law that was the bedrock of the Britain that created an empire? The bedrock of the golden era many wish to go back to?
Almost the entire modern law of negligence was created by judges, not Parliament. Lawyers stretching the law is the English tradition.
I love that case. For lawyers it is presumably a very well known story being fundamental to negligence, but I read it in a book called 'Is eating people wrong?' about impactful legal cases There is much to learn about life and law from the snail case. At the top of the list must be the almost-ridiculous and haphazard way in which the common law develops and grows. Reliance on the purely fortuitous series of events that occured to May Donoghue in Paisley seems such a strange way to achieve a just system of legal rules...we owe a debt of gratitude to the persistence not only of Walter Leechman but also to David Stevenson, both of whom refused to let pragmatic compromise get in the way of what they thought was important moral principle.
Some important principles can get established when persistent people focus on things that really should not matter as much as they think, and so push through to conclusions which rarely get to a point of final outcome.
We should send a copy of the Declaration of Arbroath to Zelensky so he can forward it to Trump.
On the European front, by 1320 Scottish relations with the papacy were in crisis after the Scots defied papal efforts to establish a truce with England. When the pope excommunicated Robert I and three of his barons, the Scots sent the Declaration of Arbroath as part of a diplomatic counter-offensive. The pope wrote to Edward II urging him to make peace, but it was not until 1328 that Scotland's independence was acknowledged.
Donaghue -v-Stevenson was not "haphazard" in the way you think. The lawyers involved had been looking for a similar case for some time to test the principle. In Scottish pleadings we have a test of what is called relevancy. That means, if we assume for the moment that everything you say is true, so what?
I have looked at the pleadings of the case before as a part of training exercise. There were several issues that were somewhat skated over, such as whether the claimant actually bought the offending bottle instead of her friend and whether it was open. It was never even proven that there was actually a snail in the bottle at all. By modern standards it was not entirely clear what the shopkeeper had done wrong, having bought the bottle from an apparently reputable supplier. By the time the case was decided by the House of Lords the claimant was dead. Not, so far as I know, because of anything in the bottle.
But the lawyers wanted to explore the idea of a general duty of reasonable care based upon the foreseeability of injury and argued the case (on both sides) on that basis.
James Matthews of Sky reporting on Trump Macron meeting says it is all about change, radical change, change that is happening too quickly for Macron inside that meeting and Starmer when he comes here on Thursday, Europe and the world more broadly
Matthews addresses the reality that so many are really struggling to comprehend
When faced with rapid change that is bad - and Trump pulling support from Ukraine, threatening to annex Greenland and Panama and throwing around the threat of blanket tariffs are indeed bad - you can either go with it, or you can resist and fight back. Or you stand like a rabbit in the headlights.
Quite a lot of people seem to think that the only option is to get with the programme. If they don’t, they are either in denial or have TDS. No. Standing like a rabbit in the headlights isn’t a good idea, but fighting back absolutely is.
You can only fight back if you have strength and at present Europe has never looked weaker and that is worrying
Indeed Trump affirmed his so called reciprocal tariffs on Europe with Macron beside him
A lot of hard thinking is needed across Europe and the ROW, but it really does look as if Trump is welcoming Putin back into the world through the lens of his business interests and not geo political stability with untold consequences
We are in a very scary place and it is not going to become less scary anytime soon
Merz actually looked strong with his win last night, certainly more so than Scholz has, as does Macron who rang rings around Trump at their interview today. Both focused on developing European military forces and continuing to fund Ukraine. Starmer is a wet blanket but then Trump just treats the UK as a pet now, his main rivals are the EU and China, his main allies Israel, Russia and Argentina.
Trump's US is therefore heading for a tariff war with China as well as the EU, it might be able to win a trade war against one of the other top 3 global economies but both?
I think Starmer has a big call to make. Whether, in the face of Trump's perfidy, to continue to try to be a "bridge" or try another approach.
I can't help feeling that a tough, even bloody-minded, united stance by UK, France, Germany and Canada might be a better option. The Canadians hate him anyway. We now have a new more decisive German chancellor. Macron is no pushover and the French, anyhow, don't do fealty to the Americans. Escalate. Swagger. Face up to him. Trump is a bully - return the favour.
Whatever he decides, Starmer will be trailing along behind Trump or Macron, Merz and even Trudeau or Carney.
We are now largely also rans in the top tier of global politics
Wtf is wrong with everyone. Canada, UK, Germany, France together can cause a heck of stink if we bother to.
Russia got bogged down by Ukraine (lol) and the Americans have gone nuts. Let's assert some calm steely sobriety.
I agree, explain which form or welfare that the UK, Germany, France and Canada should cut to fund this new found "steely sobriety" if you can't then it's all words.
We can no longer pay for millions of people to sit at home and not work because they have self diagnosed "anxiety" and managed to convince a dimwitted assessor that they need PIP.
Max, you might have missed my position that we don't actually need to increase spending. We have a medium sized stick but we don't use it, so what's the point in a big one? Alongside our allies, we actually have a caber to toss.
Let's use what we have and provide a negotiation backstop to Ukraine - if they don't like the deal then from April it's the RAF over Kyiv, the Navy in the Black Sea and a battalion or two on the front line.
Anyway, your solution doesn't get anywhere near enough, once you dig into the welfare stats properly. Our employments rates are actually pretty decent, with most people not working either early retired or students.
If it does actually kick off in a major way, I remind you that the top rate of tax was over 90% during the war and into the 50s and 60s.
AIUI that wouldn't be possible under the Montreux convention. Indeed, the Turks already refused passage for two minesweepers we had given to Ukraine.
If five aircraft and what's left of the British army could help I suppose we could send them, but more likely they would be on duties behind the front to free up Ukrainian combat troops.
Average energy price to rise by 6.4% or £85 a year
So much for Ed Miliband's green energy
Wearing a hair shirt to prove your virtue has always been popular with the zealous. The modern approach of forcing others to wear the hair shirt so one can feel virtuous is rather less splendid.
@DavidL thanks for the insight. However isn’t the point that English (and Scottish) lawyers and judges have always looked for test cases to explore and expand points of principle and that “legislation from the bench” is a normal part of our legal system, not just a modern invention?
Ps I did PM you a while back about my next career move (in Scotland). I was wondering if you have any thoughts, if you have time.
James Matthews of Sky reporting on Trump Macron meeting says it is all about change, radical change, change that is happening too quickly for Macron inside that meeting and Starmer when he comes here on Thursday, Europe and the world more broadly
Matthews addresses the reality that so many are really struggling to comprehend
When faced with rapid change that is bad - and Trump pulling support from Ukraine, threatening to annex Greenland and Panama and throwing around the threat of blanket tariffs are indeed bad - you can either go with it, or you can resist and fight back. Or you stand like a rabbit in the headlights.
Quite a lot of people seem to think that the only option is to get with the programme. If they don’t, they are either in denial or have TDS. No. Standing like a rabbit in the headlights isn’t a good idea, but fighting back absolutely is.
You can only fight back if you have strength and at present Europe has never looked weaker and that is worrying
Indeed Trump affirmed his so called reciprocal tariffs on Europe with Macron beside him
A lot of hard thinking is needed across Europe and the ROW, but it really does look as if Trump is welcoming Putin back into the world through the lens of his business interests and not geo political stability with untold consequences
We are in a very scary place and it is not going to become less scary anytime soon
Merz actually looked strong with his win last night, certainly more so than Scholz has, as does Macron who rang rings around Trump at their interview today. Both focused on developing European military forces and continuing to fund Ukraine. Starmer is a wet blanket but then Trump just treats the UK as a pet now, his main rivals are the EU and China, his main allies Israel, Russia and Argentina.
Trump's US is therefore heading for a tariff war with China as well as the EU, it might be able to win a trade war against one of the other top 3 global economies but both?
I think Starmer has a big call to make. Whether, in the face of Trump's perfidy, to continue to try to be a "bridge" or try another approach.
I can't help feeling that a tough, even bloody-minded, united stance by UK, France, Germany and Canada might be a better option. The Canadians hate him anyway. We now have a new more decisive German chancellor. Macron is no pushover and the French, anyhow, don't do fealty to the Americans. Escalate. Swagger. Face up to him. Trump is a bully - return the favour.
Whatever he decides, Starmer will be trailing along behind Trump or Macron, Merz and even Trudeau or Carney.
We are now largely also rans in the top tier of global politics
Wtf is wrong with everyone. Canada, UK, Germany, France together can cause a heck of stink if we bother to.
Russia got bogged down by Ukraine (lol) and the Americans have gone nuts. Let's assert some calm steely sobriety.
I agree, explain which form or welfare that the UK, Germany, France and Canada should cut to fund this new found "steely sobriety" if you can't then it's all words.
We can no longer pay for millions of people to sit at home and not work because they have self diagnosed "anxiety" and managed to convince a dimwitted assessor that they need PIP.
Max, you might have missed my position that we don't actually need to increase spending. We have a medium sized stick but we don't use it, so what's the point in a big one? Alongside our allies, we actually have a caber to toss.
Let's use what we have and provide a negotiation backstop to Ukraine - if they don't like the deal then from April it's the RAF over Kyiv, the Navy in the Black Sea and a battalion or two on the front line.
Anyway, your solution doesn't get anywhere near enough, once you dig into the welfare stats properly. Our employments rates are actually pretty decent, with most people not working either early retired or students.
If it does actually kick off in a major way, I remind you that the top rate of tax was over 90% during the war and into the 50s and 60s.
AIUI that wouldn't be possible under the Montreux convention. Indeed, the Turks already refused passage for two minesweepers we had given to Ukraine.
If five aircraft and what's left of the British army could help I suppose we could send them, but more likely they would be on duties behind the front to free up Ukrainian combat troops.
Did we manage to get the minesweepers to Ukraine? (I think there is a possible route via rivers)
James Matthews of Sky reporting on Trump Macron meeting says it is all about change, radical change, change that is happening too quickly for Macron inside that meeting and Starmer when he comes here on Thursday, Europe and the world more broadly
Matthews addresses the reality that so many are really struggling to comprehend
When faced with rapid change that is bad - and Trump pulling support from Ukraine, threatening to annex Greenland and Panama and throwing around the threat of blanket tariffs are indeed bad - you can either go with it, or you can resist and fight back. Or you stand like a rabbit in the headlights.
Quite a lot of people seem to think that the only option is to get with the programme. If they don’t, they are either in denial or have TDS. No. Standing like a rabbit in the headlights isn’t a good idea, but fighting back absolutely is.
You can only fight back if you have strength and at present Europe has never looked weaker and that is worrying
Indeed Trump affirmed his so called reciprocal tariffs on Europe with Macron beside him
A lot of hard thinking is needed across Europe and the ROW, but it really does look as if Trump is welcoming Putin back into the world through the lens of his business interests and not geo political stability with untold consequences
We are in a very scary place and it is not going to become less scary anytime soon
Merz actually looked strong with his win last night, certainly more so than Scholz has, as does Macron who rang rings around Trump at their interview today. Both focused on developing European military forces and continuing to fund Ukraine. Starmer is a wet blanket but then Trump just treats the UK as a pet now, his main rivals are the EU and China, his main allies Israel, Russia and Argentina.
Trump's US is therefore heading for a tariff war with China as well as the EU, it might be able to win a trade war against one of the other top 3 global economies but both?
I think Starmer has a big call to make. Whether, in the face of Trump's perfidy, to continue to try to be a "bridge" or try another approach.
I can't help feeling that a tough, even bloody-minded, united stance by UK, France, Germany and Canada might be a better option. The Canadians hate him anyway. We now have a new more decisive German chancellor. Macron is no pushover and the French, anyhow, don't do fealty to the Americans. Escalate. Swagger. Face up to him. Trump is a bully - return the favour.
Whatever he decides, Starmer will be trailing along behind Trump or Macron, Merz and even Trudeau or Carney.
We are now largely also rans in the top tier of global politics
Wtf is wrong with everyone. Canada, UK, Germany, France together can cause a heck of stink if we bother to.
Russia got bogged down by Ukraine (lol) and the Americans have gone nuts. Let's assert some calm steely sobriety.
I agree, explain which form or welfare that the UK, Germany, France and Canada should cut to fund this new found "steely sobriety" if you can't then it's all words.
We can no longer pay for millions of people to sit at home and not work because they have self diagnosed "anxiety" and managed to convince a dimwitted assessor that they need PIP.
Max, you might have missed my position that we don't actually need to increase spending. We have a medium sized stick but we don't use it, so what's the point in a big one? Alongside our allies, we actually have a caber to toss.
Let's use what we have and provide a negotiation backstop to Ukraine - if they don't like the deal then from April it's the RAF over Kyiv, the Navy in the Black Sea and a battalion or two on the front line.
Anyway, your solution doesn't get anywhere near enough, once you dig into the welfare stats properly. Our employments rates are actually pretty decent, with most people not working either early retired or students.
If it does actually kick off in a major way, I remind you that the top rate of tax was over 90% during the war and into the 50s and 60s.
AIUI that wouldn't be possible under the Montreux convention. Indeed, the Turks already refused passage for two minesweepers we had given to Ukraine.
If five aircraft and what's left of the British army could help I suppose we could send them, but more likely they would be on duties behind the front to free up Ukrainian combat troops.
Did we manage to get the minesweepers to Ukraine? (I think there is a possible route via rivers)
@DavidL thanks for the insight. However isn’t the point that English (and Scottish) lawyers and judges have always looked for test cases to explore and expand points of principle and that “legislation from the bench” is a normal part of our legal system, not just a modern invention?
Ps I did PM you a while back about my next career move (in Scotland). I was wondering if you have any thoughts, if you have time.
The important right of jury nulliffication originates with a Seventeenth century case.
Average energy price to rise by 6.4% or £85 a year
So much for Ed Miliband's green energy
Wearing a hair shirt to prove your virtue has always been popular with the zealous. The modern approach of forcing others to wear the hair shirt so one can feel virtuous is rather less splendid.
Scotland produces 113% of its electricity consumption through renewables yet we still pay prices linked to gas. Portugal manages 97% and has the lowest prices anywhere in Europe.
It's a scandal, and why there is hope for the SNP yet.
Did we manage to get the minesweepers to Ukraine? (I think there is a possible route via rivers)
Very tight on draught in the Rhine - Danube canal. Could be done... maybe... Generally, not worth the risk and arse on to get two clapped out plastic minehunters armed with a single 30mm into theatre.
They are more use where they are, training Ukrainian foremast hands.
Sir Edward Coke, the Lord Chief Justice, in 1610 stated in a judgment (Bonham's Case):
"the common law will control Acts of Parliament, and sometimes adjudge them to be utterly void; for when an Act of Parliament is against common right and reason, or repugnant, or impossible to be per- formed, the common law will control it and adjudge such Act to be void.”
Fwor - how woke. Down with this modern lawfare and up the will of the people.
King James wasn’t so hot on Coke
Coke was pre civil war and Glorious Revolution before Parliament had even asserted its supremacy over the Crown
Far more important news is that Trump is not happy with Boeing over Air Force One. Delayed and overbudget.
Sneek preview of livery so he knows which bits are which.
To be fair (yes, I know), the AF1 project is classic of the genre - cost plus contracts, a variety of the Usual Suspects as vendors, absurd capability greed, a specification that is quite possibly a life form at this point and incompetent management in all 27 sides of the project.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Far more important news is that Trump is not happy with Boeing over Air Force One. Delayed and overbudget.
Sneek preview of livery so he knows which bits are which.
To be fair (yes, I know), the AF1 project is classic of the genre - cost plus contracts, a variety of the Usual Suspects as vendors, absurd capability greed, a specification that is quite possibly a life form at this point and incompetent management in all 27 sides of the project.
You forgot: "specification drawn up so there is only one qualified bidder"
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
Average energy price to rise by 6.4% or £85 a year
So much for Ed Miliband's green energy
Wearing a hair shirt to prove your virtue has always been popular with the zealous. The modern approach of forcing others to wear the hair shirt so one can feel virtuous is rather less splendid.
Scotland produces 113% of its electricity consumption through renewables yet we still pay prices linked to gas. Portugal manages 97% and has the lowest prices anywhere in Europe.
It's a scandal, and why there is hope for the SNP yet.
Which illustrates another problem of the Process State.
The high prices were there to a) encourage renewables and b) encourage reduction in usage.
This has become unthinking Holy Writ. If you suggest reducing ‘leccy prices, people in the system react in horror. That would go against The Policy.
Far more important news is that Trump is not happy with Boeing over Air Force One. Delayed and overbudget.
Sneek preview of livery so he knows which bits are which.
To be fair (yes, I know), the AF1 project is classic of the genre - cost plus contracts, a variety of the Usual Suspects as vendors, absurd capability greed, a specification that is quite possibly a life form at this point and incompetent management in all 27 sides of the project.
Would have been funny if they had highlighted "screws" by the windows...
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
This is why the broligarchs are going to win. They control the truth. Each year a couple of percent will be converted to their reality, so sooner or later we shall end up with their puppets in power across Europe too.
You say this, but what is BlueSky if not an early thermostatic reaction to what Twitter/X was becoming/has become under Musk? Which itself could be seen as one radicalised man's reaction to the idea - funneled into his feed -Twitter had become a liberal echo chamber.
The young don't really use it, or Facebook. Those they do have their own issues with radicalisation in all directions (and the CCP) - but aren't as obviously pro-Trump/broligarch. Both's current big advantage are their pre-existing institutional status. Twitter because it was every media and major organisation's comms channel, Facebook as it has all your photos and address book. But those erode over time as young people don't bother or people leave/use it less...
They use TikTok, though. As have both AfD and Reform, with a significant degreee of success.
Bill Kristol @BillKristol · 6h Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz · 10h Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
@Leon talked of Bluesky being a liberal echo chamber. But looking at the responses to the Fitzpatrick tweet, I can't help feel that Twitter has become vehemently, and extraordinarily anti-Ukraine.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
This is why the broligarchs are going to win. They control the truth. Each year a couple of percent will be converted to their reality, so sooner or later we shall end up with their puppets in power across Europe too.
Which is why what you need to do is ban twitter. Trump will go apeshit of course but so be it.
Far more important news is that Trump is not happy with Boeing over Air Force One. Delayed and overbudget.
Sneek preview of livery so he knows which bits are which.
To be fair (yes, I know), the AF1 project is classic of the genre - cost plus contracts, a variety of the Usual Suspects as vendors, absurd capability greed, a specification that is quite possibly a life form at this point and incompetent management in all 27 sides of the project.
TSE - If you are looking for a header, let me suggest you run a competition for the best political jokes, in various categories. Here's one I have been telling recently:
A Russian gets drunk, and begins marching around the Kremlin, yelling, "Putin is a madman! Putin is a madman!"
Naturally, he is arrested, given a quick trial, and a sentence of eleven years.
Why eleven years? One year for insulting the glorious leader of Russia -- ten years for revealing a state secret.
(For the record, I read a very similar joke about Khrushchev years and years ago.)
On the nature of truth:
Nixon and Khrushchev agreed to run a race around the Kremlin, which Nixon one.
Pravda reported that Khrushchev was a close runner up, while Nixon was second to last.
Comments
There is much to learn about life and law from the snail case. At the top of the list must be the almost-ridiculous and haphazard way in which the common law develops and grows. Reliance on the purely fortuitous series of events that occured to May Donoghue in Paisley seems such a strange way to achieve a just system of legal rules...we owe a debt of gratitude to the persistence not only of Walter Leechman but also to David Stevenson, both of whom refused to let pragmatic compromise get in the way of what they thought was important moral principle.
Some important principles can get established when persistent people focus on things that really should not matter as much as they think, and so push through to conclusions which rarely get to a point of final outcome.
Seems to have gone off the deep end in 2015 because of the lack of social mobility in the fashion industry.
And upset about the homophobia he experienced growing up:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-32117736
Via Guido
Speaking to Jordan Peterson at the ARC Conference, Farage blamed Reeves’ gloominess for low birth rates:
“We need higher birth rates, but we’re not going to get higher birth rates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism. We need a complete 180 shift in attitudes…. I mean, God, doesn’t Rachel Reeves make you want to reach for the cry tissues. It’s all so miserable, it’s all so declinist. Frankly, the Conservatives have been no better. We need a change of attitude in Britain.”
Andy Burnham
@AndyBurnhamGM
·
44m
The far right becoming the official opposition in Germany and the US siding with North Korea at the UN.
If the warning signs weren’t clear enough, then surely they must be now?
@BillKristol
·
6h
Excellent from Republican member of the House.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸
@RepBrianFitz
·
10h
Today, we unequivocally and unapologetically reaffirm, to the United States of America and to the World, the following undeniable and indisputable facts. We ask all Americans, including all elected officials from all Parties and all levels of Government, to join us by sharing and
https://x.com/BillKristol/status/1894058421713809644
The United States of America stands with Democracies and opposes Dictatorships.
Benny Johnson
@bennyjohnson
Wow. Dan Bongino just opened his show with a heartfelt message following his appointment as Deputy Director of the FBI.
He is the man for the job:
“President Trump, AG Bondi, and FBI Director Patel offered this role. I'm going to accept the role proudly. I love you guys.”
https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1894061634064146463
Tim Miller
@Timodc
·
21h
what in the living fuck
Everything the Trump 2.0 Cult says from the big orange faced fuck man down is projection.
Let's use what we have and provide a negotiation backstop to Ukraine - if they don't like the deal then from April it's the RAF over Kyiv, the Navy in the Black Sea and a battalion or two on the front line.
Anyway, your solution doesn't get anywhere near enough, once you dig into the welfare stats properly. Our employments rates are actually pretty decent, with most people not working either early retired or students.
If it does actually kick off in a major way, I remind you that the top rate of tax was over 90% during the war and into the 50s and 60s.
The reason the far right is on the rise is the utter crapness and aloofness of Andy Burnham's wing of the political spectrum.
"Germany’s election victor must ditch its debt rules—fast
Friedrich Merz has weeks to shore up his country’s defences" (£)
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/02/24/germanys-election-victor-must-ditch-its-debt-rules-fast
("Czar" Putin would not approve of that choice.)
Instead they were happy to wave the centrists goodbye.
I wonder how his next meeting with Kash Patel will go.
All the Tweets that X wants to show me spew various lies, that Ukraine had CIA bioweapon labs (linked to Covid!), that Zelenskyy wasn't properly elected, that he cancelled elections twice, that the Russians were welcomed with open arms in Ukraine.
If you didn't know the truth, and if you went to Twitter, you would genuinely think that Ukraine was Nazi Germany, and Russia were the allies.
Once you see that it's easier to understand.
Once you extend that to your own opinions and prejudices, well. Then it becomes interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Merz#Personal_life
A Russian gets drunk, and begins marching around the Kremlin, yelling, "Putin is a madman! Putin is a madman!"
Naturally, he is arrested, given a quick trial, and a sentence of eleven years.
Why eleven years? One year for insulting the glorious leader of Russia -- ten years for revealing a state secret.
(For the record, I read a very similar joke about Khrushchev years and years ago.)
The young don't really use it, or Facebook. Those they do have their own issues with radicalisation in all directions (and the CCP) - but aren't as obviously pro-Trump/broligarch. Both's current big advantage are their pre-existing institutional status. Twitter because it was every media and major organisation's comms channel, Facebook as it has all your photos and address book. But those erode over time as young people don't bother or people leave/use it less.
Broadsheet journalists are already tending to shift towards Bluesky for the simple reason their links aren't suppressed and thus get much more clickthroughs on a comparably smaller amount of followers than on X. It's also simply not used in the same way for newsgathering now as isn't as basically reliable.
There are obvious alternatives if push comes to shove - and likely will be more if you consider BlueSky has basically been spun out from anti-Musk Twitter employees. Who's to say the next big platform specifically sells itself as the anti-X or Facebook, either via data protection or safety measures, or rebelliously skewing in another direction? It's what you might be working on if Zuckerberg or Musk had just laid you off.
Truth is, the more the broligarchs skew their platforms in favour of misinformation and their desires the more they will create an appetite for the alternatives. It won't happen immediately of course. Not quick enough for Ukraine. But every action creates a reaction and you will see a rebellion against it, just because it's more fun than being spoonfed bullshit.
Not least because he understands why Labour's vote is bleeding away in llaces like Rochfale and Leigh, and doesn't always take the obvious Labour-Party-2025 position.
Non woke Biden of course beat Trump, woke Harris didn't. Burnham won the Greater Manchester Mayoralty by a big margin, winning lots of white working class votes in the process
Blaming Trump for Trump is daft. He wanted to win, and got what he wanted.
And similarly I blame Merkelism for the AfD, and 20 years of unpopular pro-immigration policies in the UK for Reform.
I yield to almost noone on here in my despisal of woke. But Twitter is actually considerably worse than woke.
"German election winner Friedrich Merz is exploring ways to loosen the country’s strict borrowing cap by reconvening the outgoing parliament where mainstream parties still hold a supermajority.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union said he regretted that far right and far left parties secured more than a third of the seats in the Bundestag, giving them the power to block any constitutional changes, including to the so-called debt brake." (£)
https://www.ft.com/content/33b4fcfd-803f-4b39-9778-6126196736c8
Why do KGB dog teams always have 2 men for each dog?
"Westminster’s WhatsApp addiction must end
Without accurate records, our politics is becoming less transparent – and less accountable."
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2025/02/westminsters-whatsapp-addiction-must-end
Federal workers who don’t respond to a DOGE-directed email “a second time” would be fired, Elon Musk says
https://x.com/annmarie/status/1894186385495502889
And if similar apps need serious censorship to avoid becoming like it, doesn't that tell us something about the whole concept?
Just as cryptocurrencies are made for gamblers and money-launderers, Twitter and similar are perfect for the loudest, shoutiest idiots with the most extreme opinions, liars, scammers and Russian and Chinese propaganda.
And nowhere is that more obvious than in the US right now.
https://youtu.be/nf7XHR3EVHo?si=o_e5KRQ0KyP-MGyo
Makes the point that Zuckerberg complained recently that Biden administration put pressure on Facebook - but Facebook resisted it. Whereas they have totally caved to Trump.
Does anyone still use Facebook?
Boycott that shit too and don't let them use your data!
At the end of the day these people spread lies because it makes them money.
I have looked at the pleadings of the case before as a part of training exercise. There were several issues that were somewhat skated over, such as whether the claimant actually bought the offending bottle instead of her friend and whether it was open. It was never even proven that there was actually a snail in the bottle at all. By modern standards it was not entirely clear what the shopkeeper had done wrong, having bought the bottle from an apparently reputable supplier. By the time the case was decided by the House of Lords the claimant was dead. Not, so far as I know, because of anything in the bottle.
But the lawyers wanted to explore the idea of a general duty of reasonable care based upon the foreseeability of injury and argued the case (on both sides) on that basis.
If five aircraft and what's left of the British army could help I suppose we could send them, but more likely they would be on duties behind the front to free up Ukrainian combat troops.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/02/how-north-korea-pulled-off-a-1-5-billion-crypto-heist-the-biggest-in-history/
{Bobby Quine and Bodine Wilson have entered the chat}
So much for Ed Miliband's green energy
Ps I did PM you a while back about my next career move (in Scotland). I was wondering if you have any thoughts, if you have time.
https://x.com/rshereme/status/1893725294227316794
Sneek preview of livery so he knows which bits are which.
It's a scandal, and why there is hope for the SNP yet.
They are more use where they are, training Ukrainian foremast hands.
The high prices were there to a) encourage renewables and b) encourage reduction in usage.
This has become unthinking Holy Writ. If you suggest reducing ‘leccy prices, people in the system react in horror. That would go against The Policy.
NEW THREAD
As have both AfD and Reform, with a significant degreee of success.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_One#VXX_program
“Failure to respond a second time will result in termination,” the billionaire warned.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/musk-5-things-demand-trump-support-00205876
Imagine seeing that in your rear view mirror.
Dashcam footage shows deadly bridge collapse in South Korea
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/25/south-korea-bridge-collapse-anseong-video-footage
Nixon and Khrushchev agreed to run a race around the Kremlin, which Nixon one.
Pravda reported that Khrushchev was a close runner up, while Nixon was second to last.