Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick Pleased to say that @tomorrowsMPs will now be working in partnership with Centre for British Politics @CBPHull at Hull Univ.
This should put @tomorrowsMPs on a more permanent footing & mean we can expand my work on parliamentary selections. Hull have also made me a senior fellow.
Not any more - such is the fear of being primaried by Musk's money machine.
The irony is that by being so spineless and waving these measures through, they are in many cases sealing their fate when they meet the voters. Some of the recent Red-state town hall meetings have been brutal.
Yes, the internet is awash with local Republican politicians being berated by their voters, but they’re clearly unable to even contemplate being the first to put their head above the parapet in opposition to the mango Mussolini.
If this continues, the midterms could be brutal for the GOP. Hopefully.
The bigger worry for the Republicans must be the number of special elections coming up. They had a majority of one passing the current Medicare cuts. If what should normally be safe elections turn into a few surprises, then bang goes the House way before mid-term...
Is there any evidence that foreign aid has produced any positive results over the last 60 years? Or does most of it go in the pockets of autocratic leaders.
Yes, lots of good has been done and it's fairly straightforward to see.
The wealth of autocratic leaders does not come from embezzled aid, not least because very little aid is intergovernmental. Almost all is given via nongovernmental partners.
The vast wealth of corrupt autocrats is nearly all derived from oil and mineral deals with major international mining and petrochemical companies, largely from selling mining and drilling concessions. Much of their wealth is then banked in the City and other western countries Its capitalists not aid workers that fund their lifestyles and armies. It looks like Trump wants to continue this dishonourable tradition.
By which you mean NGOs.
I've reviewed the list posted upthread. My suspicion is that aid, hosed liberally across a spectrum of failed and failing states, achieves very little and is possibly even malign. "Aid" should be specific, targetted, emergency-only and time-limited.
Like with Kids Company, another original Cameron-era trophy that fell apart, I expect this to all come out in reports and scandals in the years to come, just as it did with Camila Batmanghelidjh.
"emergency-only"
How do you define that? Are vaccination campaigns an 'emergency' in your eyes?
An "emergency" is a sudden, unexpected situation that requires immediate action to prevent harm, injury, or danger to people, property, or the environment. They can range from medical crises (new or novel or major disease outbreaks or severe injuries) to natural disasters (earthquakes, fires or floods). In some instances, that might extend to creating safe refuges for people.
I don't think the aid budget should be used to permanently sustain vaccination programmes in other countries, unless we have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease.
Don’t we usually have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease? Infectious diseases do not respect international borders.
In many instances, yes, but not always - such as some tropical diseases.
That may come under the aegis of the WHO or other NGOs but I don't think the UK government should be more widely cross-subsidising the healthcare of other countries.
The UK is the leader in vaccination programmes through Malaria Action, GAVI, etc. It is the single most impactful intervention in human health anywhere in the world.
Many of these countries simply can’t afford these programmes - they need food and water for their citizens first.
I’m pretty right wing. But this is both a good use of money and the right thing to do
The attempt to say a halving of overseas aid (which is what this is) won't have casualties is not credible.
Half of the aid budget is international subscriptions like the WHO. A quarter is on housing asylum seekers in the UK. A quarter is on Direct aid from the UK, half of it to Africa.
We could withdraw from WHO and similar, and have a blanket amnesty for all asylum seekers, including prospectively.
That is the way to make the sums add up if we want to cut £13 billion from the aid budget and spend it on defence.
Our contributions to the WHO barely scrap £300 million, which is just over 2% of it.
We contribute to a lot of other international bodies too.
In 2022 (I can't see more recent figures) we spent over £3 billion on refugees support in or near conflict zones.
Should we cut that and encourage those refugees to flee further afield, like to the UK?
That's not the driver of refugees coming to the UK, much as you'd like to make the argument that it is.
It's those that can afford £5k to £8k to pay people smugglers, which is why it actually increases migration when countries move out of poverty to developing status.
“In 2023, the most common origin region of asylum seekers was Asia and the most common single nationality was Afghan. In previous recent years, the Middle East was the most common origin region, with Syrian and Iranian the most common nationalities.”
“Between 2014 and June 2024, 59,000 people were resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes. Around 20,000 of these were Syrians resettled between 2014 and 2020. Since 2021, 29,000 people from Afghanistan have been resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes.
“In 2022, two new routes were introduced for Ukrainians. As of September 2024, around 213,000 people had arrived under these schemes. This flow was much larger in scale than any other single forced migration flow to the UK in recent history. The number of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the UK in 2022 was equivalent to the number of people granted refuge in the UK from all origins, in total, between 2014 and 2021.”
That seems to suggest that, yes, conflict zones are a big driver of asylum seekers.
Of course they are.
That's one reason why I'm astonished by the crass stupidity of "stop overseas development aid and send in the navy to stop the small boats" policies.
Guess what the best way is to generate more small boats?
Do you seriously think that overseas aid spending reduces the number of people trying to come here?
That paper suggests that it's important not to give noticeably more than others, so it's imperative that we align our policy with the shutdown of USAID.
More aid from a country can intensify the attractiveness of the donor among alternative destinations. The presence of a donor in the recipient country, or projects funded by the donor, creates opportunities for contacts between the local population and the donor. More generally, it provides knowledge on the donor’s social norms, institutions and culture, which can decrease migration costs.
That’s a stretch. The US and UK aren’t in “competition” for asylum seekers. Asylum seekers to the two countries tend to come from different places. Most countries around the world haven’t reduced their aid.
The important point is that your dismissal of a link between aid and reducing asylum seekers was wrong.
It's there in black and white: "More aid from a country can intensify the attractiveness of the donor among alternative destinations." Are you dimissing the evidence of the paper you cited?
I’m pointing out that you are refusing to acknowledge you were wrong.
I am not dismissing the statement about more aid increasing the attractiveness of the donor country. I dismissed your application of that conclusion to argue we must therefore cut aid as USAID has.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
His being this shit at dealmaking would explain why his current fortune is less than if his parents had invested his inheritance in a tracker fund at 18.
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
Not any more - such is the fear of being primaried by Musk's money machine.
The irony is that by being so spineless and waving these measures through, they are in many cases sealing their fate when they meet the voters. Some of the recent Red-state town hall meetings have been brutal.
Yes, the internet is awash with local Republican politicians being berated by their voters, but they’re clearly unable to even contemplate being the first to put their head above the parapet in opposition to the mango Mussolini.
If this continues, the midterms could be brutal for the GOP. Hopefully.
I do hope so. US voters delivered this, US voters can snuff it out. That's all we need really, their democracy to hold up. I say "all" but this is not to imply it's a given.
It wouldn't be hard for any party to run those bullet points, even the Greens with only minimal editing:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted on privatised utilities and services. We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, our country and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect a Green government and we’ll cut the waste and the tax fraud which We All Know is there. Make Britain a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
It's just Motherhood and Apple pie.
Perhaps. But neither the Tories nor Labour can run 'time for a change' campaigns, and Reform can.
The Greens may well pick up votes at Labour's expense, but they have probably even less economic credibility than Reform, and lack the atavistic appeal. As the polling suggests. They can use the same tactic, but they're not anywhere near vying for the lead in the polls.
In any event, I think Farage's explicit emulation of, and romance with the US right will kill his chances
An SNP version:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted by Westminster We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, in Scotland and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect an SNP government and we’ll cut the waste and the fraud which We All Know is there. Make Scotland a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
You missed out ‘We don’t need that **** Farage as pm’.
Mind you Yoon favourite Wings Over Scotland now thinks Reform would allow a second Indy referendum. I think he’s high on his own supply.
Farage is cynical as F***. If it got him a few extra votes he would happily offer people a referendum
Point taken, but not in Scotland (at least not actually allowing one). Reform is Unionist if nothing else. And given current polling, even allowing a referendum is a risk too far. See how many of our PBUnionists didn't want to allow Scotland the freedom to choose they so loudly espouse in other things.
Mr F's been on manoeuvres to set up a Slab-Reform coalition in Holyrood - and Mr Sarwar has been responding to the courtship so far as I can see.
Starmer described Reform as 'dangerous right wing politics' in Scotland on Sunday, on most issues except independence Labour are closer to the SNP than Reform
Forget SKS. He's not head of Labour in Scotland (supposedly). Mr Sarwar is and he's happy to accept votes from Reform to make him FM. Which means following Reform policies to some extent, whatever he may say now.
He would only accept Reform votes to block indyref2 and make him FM if Labour won most seats, on most Scottish domestic policy Scottish Labour is closer to the SNP than Reform.
Not that Sarwar is going to replace Swinney as FM anyway given the SNP are still ahead in Holyrood polls even if short of a majority
[edit] If Labour won most seats Mr S wouldn't *need* Reform votes to make him [edit] FM!!
If they don't, and not enough other parties support him to do without Reform, then he's stuck. The moment Mr S does anything Reform don't like they can pull the plug. Which is almost everything except the Union. Scottish domestic policy, for instance, hinges in part on the acceptability and necessity of immigration.
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
Earlier discussion on how to reduce terrorism. Perhaps we should be more wary of things that will massively increase terrorism.....
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
Earlier discussion on how to reduce terrorism. Perhaps we should be more wary of things that will massively increase terrorism.....
Too late, they’ve already voted the Trumpster Fire in.
5 local by-elections tomorrow. We have a Con defence in Breckland, a Lab defence in Westminster, and a LD defence in Westmoreland and Furness. In East Suffolk we have 2 contests; a Con Defence and a LD defence.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
Lavrov can say what he likes. Russia hasn't got the weapons or manpower or money to keep this war going.
Russia is seriously overplaying its hand. They have clearly been caught off-guard by Trump's about-turn on the Ukraine minerals deal and troops to ensure that it gets delivered. The more the Ukrainians can turn round Russian occupations, the more minerals Trump gets to exploit. Another three months of the Ukrainians not being stopped from trashing Russian hydrocarbon kit - and Putin will be changing his turne.
I’m not sure it is. It now realises it has a strong hand, because Trump has preemptively given it everything it asked for, and is now well positioned to ask for more.
They have come to realise, like the Canadians, the Mexicans and the Taliban, that Trump is a shit negotiator. The Putin regime may be evil but it’s not, at the tactical level, stupid.
They have also (presumably) sussed that Trump's requirement is purely to have the big reality tv moment of "A Deal". The small print and longer term consequences are not important to him.
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service (incluidng perhaps that individual vehicle - the number plate is unclear but could be UK pattern, so prob not a manufacturer demo?). Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service. Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
Careful. You'll have you-know-who berate you for misidentifying distributed axle weights.
It wouldn't be hard for any party to run those bullet points, even the Greens with only minimal editing:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted on privatised utilities and services. We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, our country and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect a Green government and we’ll cut the waste and the tax fraud which We All Know is there. Make Britain a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
It's just Motherhood and Apple pie.
Perhaps. But neither the Tories nor Labour can run 'time for a change' campaigns, and Reform can.
The Greens may well pick up votes at Labour's expense, but they have probably even less economic credibility than Reform, and lack the atavistic appeal. As the polling suggests. They can use the same tactic, but they're not anywhere near vying for the lead in the polls.
In any event, I think Farage's explicit emulation of, and romance with the US right will kill his chances
An SNP version:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted by Westminster We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, in Scotland and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect an SNP government and we’ll cut the waste and the fraud which We All Know is there. Make Scotland a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
You missed out ‘We don’t need that **** Farage as pm’.
Mind you Yoon favourite Wings Over Scotland now thinks Reform would allow a second Indy referendum. I think he’s high on his own supply.
Farage is cynical as F***. If it got him a few extra votes he would happily offer people a referendum
Point taken, but not in Scotland (at least not actually allowing one). Reform is Unionist if nothing else. And given current polling, even allowing a referendum is a risk too far. See how many of our PBUnionists didn't want to allow Scotland the freedom to choose they so loudly espouse in other things.
Mr F's been on manoeuvres to set up a Slab-Reform coalition in Holyrood - and Mr Sarwar has been responding to the courtship so far as I can see.
Starmer described Reform as 'dangerous right wing politics' in Scotland on Sunday, on most issues except independence Labour are closer to the SNP than Reform
Forget SKS. He's not head of Labour in Scotland (supposedly). Mr Sarwar is and he's happy to accept votes from Reform to make him FM. Which means following Reform policies to some extent, whatever he may say now.
He would only accept Reform votes to block indyref2 and make him FM if Labour won most seats, on most Scottish domestic policy Scottish Labour is closer to the SNP than Reform.
Not that Sarwar is going to replace Swinney as FM anyway given the SNP are still ahead in Holyrood polls even if short of a majority
[edit] If Labour won most seats Mr S wouldn't *need* Reform votes to make him [edit] FM!!
If they don't, and not enough other parties support him to do without Reform, then he's stuck. The moment Mr S does anything Reform don't like they can pull the plug. Which is almost everything except the Union. Scottish domestic policy, for instance, hinges in part on the acceptability and necessity of immigration.
Indeed, though Reform would only be Kingmakers if neither the SNP and Greens or Labour, the Tories and LDs combined had a majority at Holyrood
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service. Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
Careful. You'll have you-know-who berate you for misidentifying distributed axle weights.
You're obviously not the military equivalent of a trainspotter, if you photographed them with that tree in front ... but I shouldn't complain, I'm actually astonished to see it cos I'm surprised they could spare one. Where is that, Horse Guards?
Cummings was calling for Rory Stewart to be executed the other day.
He’s a total nut job.
“We need to drain the swamp, arrest the swamp, and in some cases, execute the swamp.”
Isn't the "swamp" flying to Washington this afternoon?
If Musk who despises Starmer more than Dom, did tomorrow what Dom is advocating what would be the World's response? I suspect one of "oh dear, how sad, never mind".
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service. Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
Careful. You'll have you-know-who berate you for misidentifying distributed axle weights.
You're obviously not the military equivalent of a trainspotter, if you photographed them with that tree in front ... but I shouldn't complain, I'm actually astonished to see it cos I'm surprised they could spare one. Where is that, Horse Guards?
Welly Barracks. Trees bleedin' everywhere on Birdcage Walk, pah.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
It wouldn't be hard for any party to run those bullet points, even the Greens with only minimal editing:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted on privatised utilities and services. We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, our country and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect a Green government and we’ll cut the waste and the tax fraud which We All Know is there. Make Britain a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
It's just Motherhood and Apple pie.
Perhaps. But neither the Tories nor Labour can run 'time for a change' campaigns, and Reform can.
The Greens may well pick up votes at Labour's expense, but they have probably even less economic credibility than Reform, and lack the atavistic appeal. As the polling suggests. They can use the same tactic, but they're not anywhere near vying for the lead in the polls.
In any event, I think Farage's explicit emulation of, and romance with the US right will kill his chances
An SNP version:
We need to get value for money – so much of your money is being wasted by Westminster We need significant reforms of health, education, social services and tax to make them work for you again We need to make work pay your bills, and that means cutting the cost of living We need to restore pride in our communities, in Scotland and in ourselves We need to stop our town and cities falling into disrepair by fixing the pavements and roads and reopening the shops Elect an SNP government and we’ll cut the waste and the fraud which We All Know is there. Make Scotland a land fit for Our Children’s Futures
You missed out ‘We don’t need that **** Farage as pm’.
Mind you Yoon favourite Wings Over Scotland now thinks Reform would allow a second Indy referendum. I think he’s high on his own supply.
Farage is cynical as F***. If it got him a few extra votes he would happily offer people a referendum
Point taken, but not in Scotland (at least not actually allowing one). Reform is Unionist if nothing else. And given current polling, even allowing a referendum is a risk too far. See how many of our PBUnionists didn't want to allow Scotland the freedom to choose they so loudly espouse in other things.
Mr F's been on manoeuvres to set up a Slab-Reform coalition in Holyrood - and Mr Sarwar has been responding to the courtship so far as I can see.
Starmer described Reform as 'dangerous right wing politics' in Scotland on Sunday, on most issues except independence Labour are closer to the SNP than Reform
Forget SKS. He's not head of Labour in Scotland (supposedly). Mr Sarwar is and he's happy to accept votes from Reform to make him FM. Which means following Reform policies to some extent, whatever he may say now.
He would only accept Reform votes to block indyref2 and make him FM if Labour won most seats, on most Scottish domestic policy Scottish Labour is closer to the SNP than Reform.
Not that Sarwar is going to replace Swinney as FM anyway given the SNP are still ahead in Holyrood polls even if short of a majority
[edit] If Labour won most seats Mr S wouldn't *need* Reform votes to make him [edit] FM!!
If they don't, and not enough other parties support him to do without Reform, then he's stuck. The moment Mr S does anything Reform don't like they can pull the plug. Which is almost everything except the Union. Scottish domestic policy, for instance, hinges in part on the acceptability and necessity of immigration.
Indeed, though Reform would only be Kingmakers if neither the SNP and Greens or Labour, the Tories and LDs combined had a majority at Holyrood
Also implies that Labour and Tories cease abstaining in FM and annual budget votes, which isn't a given judging from past practice.
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
..The video might have gone down particularly badly with Trump’s Christian supporters, with several comments referencing the idolatry of the golden statue, and others lamenting a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a bellydancer as a crowd looks on.
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service. Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
Careful. You'll have you-know-who berate you for misidentifying distributed axle weights.
You're obviously not the military equivalent of a trainspotter, if you photographed them with that tree in front ... but I shouldn't complain, I'm actually astonished to see it cos I'm surprised they could spare one. Where is that, Horse Guards?
Welly Barracks. Trees bleedin' everywhere on Birdcage Walk, pah.
Thanks. Bit early in the year for a Royal thing and quite convenient to Westminster/Whitehall so maybe something political.
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
A friend who reads the Israeli press says it's gone down very well there. Which is an indictment of the Israeli press.
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
Are we sure they are not Russian or Trumpian?
The wheeled SP is, I think, Archer - so no. In UK service. Not sure about the specific variants of the 8x8 APC or the truck - maybe command/radar and ammunition respectively.
Careful. You'll have you-know-who berate you for misidentifying distributed axle weights.
You're obviously not the military equivalent of a trainspotter, if you photographed them with that tree in front ... but I shouldn't complain, I'm actually astonished to see it cos I'm surprised they could spare one. Where is that, Horse Guards?
Welly Barracks. Trees bleedin' everywhere on Birdcage Walk, pah.
Thanks. Bit early in the year for a Royal thing and quite convenient to Westminster/Whitehall so maybe something political.
They occasionally have shows/exhibitions there for various relevant parties; I suppose if you are going to show off some kit you can't just put it in the beer garden of a Hampstead pub.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
..The video might have gone down particularly badly with Trump’s Christian supporters, with several comments referencing the idolatry of the golden statue, and others lamenting a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a bellydancer as a crowd looks on.
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
Perhaps evangelicals are finally realising Trump worships 3 things above all, 1 himself, 2 money, 3 power. Jesus Christ and his teachings are rather lower down the list and now he has been re elected he doesn't have need for evangelical voters turning out for him again
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
..The video might have gone down particularly badly with Trump’s Christian supporters, with several comments referencing the idolatry of the golden statue, and others lamenting a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a bellydancer as a crowd looks on.
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
Perhaps evangelicals are finally realising Trump worships 3 things above all, 1 himself, 2 money, 3 power. Jesus Christ and his teachings are rather lower down the list and now he has been re elected he doesn't have need for evangelical voters turning out for him again
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
When the Mexican cartels march into Arizona, he's on his own!
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
..The video might have gone down particularly badly with Trump’s Christian supporters, with several comments referencing the idolatry of the golden statue, and others lamenting a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a bellydancer as a crowd looks on.
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
Perhaps evangelicals are finally realising Trump worships 3 things above all, 1 himself, 2 money, 3 power. Jesus Christ and his teachings are rather lower down the list and now he has been re elected he doesn't have need for evangelical voters turning out for him again
Don't all Trump voters now get their entire theology from JD Vance?
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
When the Mexican cartels march into Arizona, he's on his own!
If the Mexican cartles march into Arizona, it will seal his position as this century's Bismarck and give him an excuse to unify North America.
This baffles me. One of the Golden Rules of my political lifetime has been that in the aftermath of a General Election, the Liberal/Lib Dem vote implodes. Tanks catastrophically. Six months after the last General Election I would have forecast the Lib Dem vote to be at about 6%, that is, roughly half of what they got on polling day. But now, not only is it not collapsing, but it's rising.
How does that tie in with the Thread Topic on RefUK winning the General Election? Are Reform winning some protest votes from the Lib Dems which are being replaced (and more) by discontented Labour and Conservative voters? How much "churn" is there in these numbers, does anyone know? (Or care?)
Because Lab are so unpopular that some of their voters have moved to the LDs. That scenario hasn't happened before this close to a previous election.
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
When the Mexican cartels march into Arizona, he's on his own!
If the Mexican cartles march into Arizona, it will seal his position as this century's Bismarck and give him an excuse to unify North America.
The Mexican cartels deal in a level of barbarity that the Americans haven't got close to since Vietnam. Their shock and awe tactics would have the US media reeling.
I’ve been searching for positives anyway and I believe I’ve found one. In a world of turmoil, autocracy and brutish populism on the rise wherever you look, we in the UK have a sane and stable government, with a large majority and four years still to run. I realize their precise policies aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, and that Keir Starmer neither rocks the aisles with laughter (like Boris Johnson) nor inspires the public’s love and devotion (like Gordon Brown), but so what? In times like these you count your blessings and a blessing is what he is. So by all means criticise him and this Labour government, that’s healthy, but let’s at the same time treasure it.
Egg prices are predicted to increase by 41.1 percent in 2025, according to a report released by the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday. https://x.com/ABC/status/1894547136710115344
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
Aberration or fork in the road? This is the question, H. What do you think?
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
I am reminded of the song David Bowie wrote for Lulu.
Every time you think you’ve seen and done everything debauched, decadent, and drunkenly doolally it shows you that NAH
My 21 year old grandson ad his 22 year (male) cousin are booked into Bangkok for a fw days en route to a working trip to Australia. Their uncle has found them all sorts of 'seemly' things to do...... family dinners, sports such as football. Seems such a waste!
Egg prices are predicted to increase by 41.1 percent in 2025, according to a report released by the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday. https://x.com/ABC/status/1894547136710115344
Don't worry; they're abolishing the department.
I listen to an American video game podcast and they were going on about this for ages. Egg surcharges at Dennys etc.
Just in: Musk’s team has mass terminated hundreds of government leases, while simultaneously demanding federal workers go back to the office five days a week
“Where are we supposed to tell them to go?,” one federal supervisor tells me
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
Aberration or fork in the road? This is the question, H. What do you think?
Given the inflation rises from Trump's tariffs most likely the former
Is there any evidence that foreign aid has produced any positive results over the last 60 years? Or does most of it go in the pockets of autocratic leaders.
Yes, lots of good has been done and it's fairly straightforward to see.
The wealth of autocratic leaders does not come from embezzled aid, not least because very little aid is intergovernmental. Almost all is given via nongovernmental partners.
The vast wealth of corrupt autocrats is nearly all derived from oil and mineral deals with major international mining and petrochemical companies, largely from selling mining and drilling concessions. Much of their wealth is then banked in the City and other western countries Its capitalists not aid workers that fund their lifestyles and armies. It looks like Trump wants to continue this dishonourable tradition.
By which you mean NGOs.
I've reviewed the list posted upthread. My suspicion is that aid, hosed liberally across a spectrum of failed and failing states, achieves very little and is possibly even malign. "Aid" should be specific, targetted, emergency-only and time-limited.
Like with Kids Company, another original Cameron-era trophy that fell apart, I expect this to all come out in reports and scandals in the years to come, just as it did with Camila Batmanghelidjh.
"emergency-only"
How do you define that? Are vaccination campaigns an 'emergency' in your eyes?
An "emergency" is a sudden, unexpected situation that requires immediate action to prevent harm, injury, or danger to people, property, or the environment. They can range from medical crises (new or novel or major disease outbreaks or severe injuries) to natural disasters (earthquakes, fires or floods). In some instances, that might extend to creating safe refuges for people.
I don't think the aid budget should be used to permanently sustain vaccination programmes in other countries, unless we have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease.
Don’t we usually have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease? Infectious diseases do not respect international borders.
In many instances, yes, but not always - such as some tropical diseases.
That may come under the aegis of the WHO or other NGOs but I don't think the UK government should be more widely cross-subsidising the healthcare of other countries.
The UK is the leader in vaccination programmes through Malaria Action, GAVI, etc. It is the single most impactful intervention in human health anywhere in the world.
Many of these countries simply can’t afford these programmes - they need food and water for their citizens first.
I’m pretty right wing. But this is both a good use of money and the right thing to do
The attempt to say a halving of overseas aid (which is what this is) won't have casualties is not credible.
Half of the aid budget is international subscriptions like the WHO. A quarter is on housing asylum seekers in the UK. A quarter is on Direct aid from the UK, half of it to Africa.
We could withdraw from WHO and similar, and have a blanket amnesty for all asylum seekers, including prospectively.
That is the way to make the sums add up if we want to cut £13 billion from the aid budget and spend it on defence.
Our contributions to the WHO barely scrap £300 million, which is just over 2% of it.
We contribute to a lot of other international bodies too.
In 2022 (I can't see more recent figures) we spent over £3 billion on refugees support in or near conflict zones.
Should we cut that and encourage those refugees to flee further afield, like to the UK?
That's not the driver of refugees coming to the UK, much as you'd like to make the argument that it is.
It's those that can afford £5k to £8k to pay people smugglers, which is why it actually increases migration when countries move out of poverty to developing status.
“In 2023, the most common origin region of asylum seekers was Asia and the most common single nationality was Afghan. In previous recent years, the Middle East was the most common origin region, with Syrian and Iranian the most common nationalities.”
“Between 2014 and June 2024, 59,000 people were resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes. Around 20,000 of these were Syrians resettled between 2014 and 2020. Since 2021, 29,000 people from Afghanistan have been resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes.
“In 2022, two new routes were introduced for Ukrainians. As of September 2024, around 213,000 people had arrived under these schemes. This flow was much larger in scale than any other single forced migration flow to the UK in recent history. The number of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the UK in 2022 was equivalent to the number of people granted refuge in the UK from all origins, in total, between 2014 and 2021.”
That seems to suggest that, yes, conflict zones are a big driver of asylum seekers.
Of course they are.
That's one reason why I'm astonished by the crass stupidity of "stop overseas development aid and send in the navy to stop the small boats" policies.
Guess what the best way is to generate more small boats?
Do you seriously think that overseas aid spending reduces the number of people trying to come here?
I highly doubt he would be the richest man in the world and a Physics and Business grad from Ivy League Pennsylvania University if his IQ wasn't at least 130+
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
Aberration or fork in the road? This is the question, H. What do you think?
Given the inflation rises from Trump's tariffs most likely the former
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
His being this shit at dealmaking would explain why his current fortune is less than if his parents had invested his inheritance in a tracker fund at 18.
Or, as is often said, the only man who ever lost money owning a casino
I've just watched the slick Trump/Gaza film. It's not weird. It's sick and evil. I can barely imagine the offence it would cause to people living in, or connected to, rubble-strewn Gaza. Rather than building bridges, the USA is blowing them up. How to intensify Palestinians' hatred of the USA in one easy step.
..The video might have gone down particularly badly with Trump’s Christian supporters, with several comments referencing the idolatry of the golden statue, and others lamenting a scene showing Trump in a nightclub alone with a woman dressed as a bellydancer as a crowd looks on.
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
Is there any evidence that foreign aid has produced any positive results over the last 60 years? Or does most of it go in the pockets of autocratic leaders.
Yes, lots of good has been done and it's fairly straightforward to see.
The wealth of autocratic leaders does not come from embezzled aid, not least because very little aid is intergovernmental. Almost all is given via nongovernmental partners.
The vast wealth of corrupt autocrats is nearly all derived from oil and mineral deals with major international mining and petrochemical companies, largely from selling mining and drilling concessions. Much of their wealth is then banked in the City and other western countries Its capitalists not aid workers that fund their lifestyles and armies. It looks like Trump wants to continue this dishonourable tradition.
By which you mean NGOs.
I've reviewed the list posted upthread. My suspicion is that aid, hosed liberally across a spectrum of failed and failing states, achieves very little and is possibly even malign. "Aid" should be specific, targetted, emergency-only and time-limited.
Like with Kids Company, another original Cameron-era trophy that fell apart, I expect this to all come out in reports and scandals in the years to come, just as it did with Camila Batmanghelidjh.
"emergency-only"
How do you define that? Are vaccination campaigns an 'emergency' in your eyes?
An "emergency" is a sudden, unexpected situation that requires immediate action to prevent harm, injury, or danger to people, property, or the environment. They can range from medical crises (new or novel or major disease outbreaks or severe injuries) to natural disasters (earthquakes, fires or floods). In some instances, that might extend to creating safe refuges for people.
I don't think the aid budget should be used to permanently sustain vaccination programmes in other countries, unless we have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease.
Don’t we usually have a direct national interest in the global suppression of a disease? Infectious diseases do not respect international borders.
In many instances, yes, but not always - such as some tropical diseases.
That may come under the aegis of the WHO or other NGOs but I don't think the UK government should be more widely cross-subsidising the healthcare of other countries.
The UK is the leader in vaccination programmes through Malaria Action, GAVI, etc. It is the single most impactful intervention in human health anywhere in the world.
Many of these countries simply can’t afford these programmes - they need food and water for their citizens first.
I’m pretty right wing. But this is both a good use of money and the right thing to do
The attempt to say a halving of overseas aid (which is what this is) won't have casualties is not credible.
Half of the aid budget is international subscriptions like the WHO. A quarter is on housing asylum seekers in the UK. A quarter is on Direct aid from the UK, half of it to Africa.
We could withdraw from WHO and similar, and have a blanket amnesty for all asylum seekers, including prospectively.
That is the way to make the sums add up if we want to cut £13 billion from the aid budget and spend it on defence.
Our contributions to the WHO barely scrap £300 million, which is just over 2% of it.
We contribute to a lot of other international bodies too.
In 2022 (I can't see more recent figures) we spent over £3 billion on refugees support in or near conflict zones.
Should we cut that and encourage those refugees to flee further afield, like to the UK?
That's not the driver of refugees coming to the UK, much as you'd like to make the argument that it is.
It's those that can afford £5k to £8k to pay people smugglers, which is why it actually increases migration when countries move out of poverty to developing status.
“In 2023, the most common origin region of asylum seekers was Asia and the most common single nationality was Afghan. In previous recent years, the Middle East was the most common origin region, with Syrian and Iranian the most common nationalities.”
“Between 2014 and June 2024, 59,000 people were resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes. Around 20,000 of these were Syrians resettled between 2014 and 2020. Since 2021, 29,000 people from Afghanistan have been resettled or relocated to the UK through various schemes.
“In 2022, two new routes were introduced for Ukrainians. As of September 2024, around 213,000 people had arrived under these schemes. This flow was much larger in scale than any other single forced migration flow to the UK in recent history. The number of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the UK in 2022 was equivalent to the number of people granted refuge in the UK from all origins, in total, between 2014 and 2021.”
That seems to suggest that, yes, conflict zones are a big driver of asylum seekers.
Of course they are.
That's one reason why I'm astonished by the crass stupidity of "stop overseas development aid and send in the navy to stop the small boats" policies.
Guess what the best way is to generate more small boats?
Do you seriously think that overseas aid spending reduces the number of people trying to come here?
In the long run, for sure.
Is the premise that in a world with roughly equal levels of wealth (assume for the sake of argument that foreign aid helps move the world in that direction) that people will be less inclined to move around?
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
In which case no NATO nation would accept either otherwise they would be at war with Russia
Article 5 is dead. Keep up!
Only for the US while Trump leads it
I am reminded of the song David Bowie wrote for Lulu.
He said I was his friend Which came as a surprise...
Lavrov says Russia will not accept any ceasefire on current lines of occupation, only once Russia has obtained all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea.
He also rejects any European troops being involved in enforcing any ceasefire (which suggests only Turkish and otherwise non NATO UN troops could enforce a ceasefire)
With Trump's deal making successes so far Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Baltic States will all be on the table with the whole of Ukraine and the Balkans.
His being this shit at dealmaking would explain why his current fortune is less than if his parents had invested his inheritance in a tracker fund at 18.
Donald Trump made $500 million from his share of The Apprentice. All our lot got was a junior ministerial post and two seats in the House of Lords.
Reality rarely hs any resemblance to what the Trump administration has been saying about anything.
The US President flat-out lying all the time, about big things and small, no shame about it whatsoever. I still have to pinch myself it's happening.
Amen brother.
Here's another whopper:
“[We are] committed to restoring development spending at the level of 0.7% of gross national income as soon as fiscal circumstances allow”
I suspect that is absolutely and 100% true. However the date that "fiscal circumstances allow" is something of a permanent moveable feast, and in one direction.
I highly doubt he would be the richest man in the world and a Physics and Business grad from Ivy League Pennsylvania University if his IQ wasn't at least 130+
"It’s also a particularly American problem to confuse wealth with intelligence and corporations with their owners. In most of the world, this conversation would seem utterly absurd, as once again, there’s no evidence of Musk having *intellectual* achievements."
Comments
He’s a total nut job.
The version of manhood placed on display by Trump and his aides is the one imagined by teenage boys.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/trump-masculinity/681828/
@MichaelLCrick
Pleased to say that @tomorrowsMPs will now be working in partnership with Centre for British Politics
@CBPHull at Hull Univ.
This should put @tomorrowsMPs
on a more permanent footing & mean we can expand my work on parliamentary selections. Hull have also made me a senior fellow.
https://x.com/MichaelLCrick/status/1894359459129868579
I am not dismissing the statement about more aid increasing the attractiveness of the donor country. I dismissed your application of that conclusion to argue we must therefore cut aid as USAID has.
But am rather wowed by her being given the opportunity to work with Johnny Marr...
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1894533099297427841
Using their Iraq experience, no doubt.
If they don't, and not enough other parties support him to do without Reform, then he's stuck. The moment Mr S does anything Reform don't like they can pull the plug. Which is almost everything except the Union. Scottish domestic policy, for instance, hinges in part on the acceptability and necessity of immigration.
I think the money for these puppies had been earmarked to bring fresh water to Mbomou Province.
Well done Sir Keir.
If Musk who despises Starmer more than Dom, did tomorrow what Dom is advocating what would be the World's response? I suspect one of "oh dear, how sad, never mind".
“Only one deserves the glory and the honor, Mr President,” wrote another user. “The statue is a symbol of the antichrist, please humble yourself to God. Jesus is king and only Him.” Other users described the video as “sick” and “filth”...
Full text of the Ukraine-US Minerals Deal.
1. Seems fine (an investment and reconstruction fund);
2. Has no resemblance to what the Trump administration has been saying about it;
3. Can't tell if Ukraine is good at diplomacy, or Trump bad at it.
https://bsky.app/profile/explaintrade.com/post/3lj3iadurgc24
Officers found millions in cash and flight tickets to Moscow at one of his bodyguard's homes apparently.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/live/c1ez2zen2ydt
The Big Mango, take a bow
Every time you think you’ve seen and done everything debauched, decadent, and drunkenly doolally it shows you that NAH
https://x.com/ABC/status/1894547136710115344
Don't worry; they're abolishing the department.
https://sinhalaguide.com/the-author-of-musks-biography-suggests-his-iq-is-under-110-with-no-evidence-of-exceptional-intelligence/
Seems such a waste!
@JStein_WaPo
Just in: Musk’s team has mass terminated hundreds of government leases, while simultaneously demanding federal workers go back to the office five days a week
“Where are we supposed to tell them to go?,” one federal supervisor tells me
Here's another whopper:
“[We are] committed to restoring development spending at the level of 0.7% of gross national income as soon as fiscal circumstances allow”
Which came as a surprise...