A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
For all those saying we have a duty to asylum seekers cogitate on this
If you are a british citizen and fall ill you will not get treatment if it exceeds nice guidelines (about 25k) and be left to die
then you have this from a progressive think tank the ippr
"New analysis conducted by the think tank finds that the average annual cost of housing and supporting an asylum seeker has soared from £17,000 per person in 2019/20 (adjusted for inflation) to approximately £41,000 in 2023/24"
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
For all those saying we have a duty to asylum seekers cogitate on this
If you are a british citizen and fall ill you will not get treatment if it exceeds nice guidelines (about 25k) and be left to die
then you have this from a progressive think tank the ippr
"New analysis conducted by the think tank finds that the average annual cost of housing and supporting an asylum seeker has soared from £17,000 per person in 2019/20 (adjusted for inflation) to approximately £41,000 in 2023/24"
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
But how many people who voted for them in 2006 are still alive now?
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
But how many people who voted for them in 2006 are still alive now?
You confuse me with someone that cares about the middle east
The communications app TeleMessage, which was spotted on former US national security adviser Mike Waltz's phone, has suspended “all services” as it investigates reports of at least one breach.
The communications app TeleMessage, which was spotted on former US national security adviser Mike Waltz's phone, has suspended “all services” as it investigates reports of at least one breach.
The communications app TeleMessage, which was spotted on former US national security adviser Mike Waltz's phone, has suspended “all services” as it investigates reports of at least one breach.
I was bemoaning an AI generated overlay on a video to friends earlier. This is almost the opposite. "Let's just do an overlay of every single word as the code is easier to 'vibe'!".
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
But how many people who voted for them in 2006 are still alive now?
You confuse me with someone that cares about the middle east
You seem to know exactly how many Seats they won in 2006!
The Guardian reporting on a possible semi u-turn on the WFA . And the Times on changes to immigration rules re visas in particular for Pakistan , Nigeria and Sri Lanka which have apparently a lot of asylum applications once in the UK.
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
But how many people who voted for them in 2006 are still alive now?
You confuse me with someone that cares about the middle east
You seem to know exactly how many Seats they won in 2006!
We have this little invention called the internet....it isnt hard to look it up perhaps you should try it rather than implying they attacked coalition partners and drove them out of government
Maybe a sign that the UK US talks on tariffs are going nowhere fast is the red line from the US to Japan re the auto tariffs .
What’s the point of the UK doing any deal if it doesn’t lower those tariffs . And now Trump is threatening to screw film production in the UK this has complicated things further.
Most countries don’t extend state visits to those who are actively trying to fxck some of their businesses. It’s just pitiful that the UK government has demeaned itself and is becoming a total embarrassment with this desperate fawning over Trump .
We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does! All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us. Without the United States, the War would have been won by other Countries, and what a different World it would be. Therefore, I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945. We will not be closing the Country for these two very important Holidays, November 11 and May 8, World War I and World War II, because we already have too many Holidays in America — There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now! Documentation to follow. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does! All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us. Without the United States, the War would have been won by other Countries, and what a different World it would be. Therefore, I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945. We will not be closing the Country for these two very important Holidays, November 11 and May 8, World War I and World War II, because we already have too many Holidays in America — There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now! Documentation to follow. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
I'd like to warmly congratulate the non-bone spur community in the US for their incredible valour and sacrifice in winning those wars.
Downing Street is rethinking its controversial winter fuel payment cut amid growing anxiety at the top of government that the policy could wreak serious electoral damage, the Guardian has been told.
Keir Starmer’s senior team has been discussing for several weeks how to handle public anger over the policy, which bubbled over in last Thursday’s local elections, when the party lost two-thirds of the council seats it was defending.
While a full reversal of the cut is not expected, No 10 sources said they were considering whether to increase the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance.
This will end up with the savings being the the square root of f##k all and they won't get any credit for reversing it. They could have increased the tax rich oldies pay in more stealthier ways and end up with more money.
Downing Street is rethinking its controversial winter fuel payment cut amid growing anxiety at the top of government that the policy could wreak serious electoral damage, the Guardian has been told.
Keir Starmer’s senior team has been discussing for several weeks how to handle public anger over the policy, which bubbled over in last Thursday’s local elections, when the party lost two-thirds of the council seats it was defending.
While a full reversal of the cut is not expected, No 10 sources said they were considering whether to increase the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance.
This will end up with saving the square root of f##k all and they won't get any credit for reversing it. They could have increased the tax rich oldies pay in more stealthier ways and end up with more money.
I can see a repeat of Gordon Brown's 70p or whatever it was.
Downing Street is rethinking its controversial winter fuel payment cut amid growing anxiety at the top of government that the policy could wreak serious electoral damage, the Guardian has been told.
Keir Starmer’s senior team has been discussing for several weeks how to handle public anger over the policy, which bubbled over in last Thursday’s local elections, when the party lost two-thirds of the council seats it was defending.
While a full reversal of the cut is not expected, No 10 sources said they were considering whether to increase the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance.
This will end up with the savings being the the square root of f##k all and they won't get any credit for reversing it. They could have increased the tax rich oldies pay in more stealthier ways and end up with more money.
Indeed. Reputational damage is done. They should move on with a different eye-catching policy for the same group.
Where's the money going to come from if the WFA is reinstated without means testing?
More borrowing...they government is already borrowing £150bn a year and was £20bn "over borrowed" last year. The £1bn we are talking about hardly registers on its own. Its like the VAT on private school, in terms of a pure revenue raiser it doesn't make any material difference.
I wouldn't be surprised though if we end up with some sort of scheme that requires more paperwork invalidating the small amount of savings even more.
Where's the money going to come from if the WFA is reinstated without means testing?
More borrowing...they government is already borrowing £150bn a year and was £20bn "over borrowed" last year. The £1bn we are talking about hardly registers on its own. Its like the VAT on private school, in terms of a pure revenue raiser it doesn't make any material difference.
I wouldn't be surprised though if we end up with some sort of scheme that requires more paperwork invalidating the small amount of savings even more.
Has the word U-turn fallen out of favour at Guardian HQ or something?
Taxpayers’ money spent on renting constituency offices from Labour
MPs charging £1.1m to rent from their own party is ‘extremely questionable’, says pressure group ... Twelve Labour MPs including Ellie Reeves, the Labour chairman [sic], have constituency offices in buildings owned by Labour.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
The Welsh first minister will criticise Keir Starmer’s welfare reforms in a major speech on Tuesday, saying she will pursue a leftwing “red Welsh way” and put a clear dividing line between Welsh Labour and the national party.
Eluned Morgan will distance herself from Starmer’s government in a speech on Tuesday billed by allies as a reset moment for Welsh Labour to counter the threats from Reform UK and Plaid Cymru.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Oh fuck, no! Not the "high-end interior decorators". The country's fucked. Can you please somehow beg her to stay? Who is going to arrange decorative twigs in large, beige coloured vases?
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Oh fuck, no! Not the "high-end interior decorators". The country's fucked. Can you please somehow beg her to stay? Who is going to arrange decorative twigs in large, beige coloured vases?
Well, we need somebody to paper over all the cracks.
In any case, the Boriswave is only tangentially relevant. The immigration which is politically the most toxic is the boats. It was the failure to address that which most scuppered the Tories. But as Gallowgate points out, there was no politically acceptable answer then. Rwanada was shouted down. I think the mood of the country has changed since then.
No, it’s both
People want the boats stopped ASAFP and they want immigration brought down to near-zero, and the Boriswave must be gently returned whence they came, not given ILR
The boats are the enraging symptom but the pathology is deeper and wider. And the voters have made it very clear they want this sorted NOW or next time Farage wins the keys to Number 10
As Dan Hodges put it, the politicians have been given a blatant final warning
Yes but you’re still not answering any of the difficult questions.
Are you actually proposing to machine gun boats in the channel? I mean it’s a possible solution but when the first kids get shot at by the Royal Navy there might be a backlash. Maybe not though?
In terms of “Rwanda” or equivalent, how much are we willing to pay to deport these people? What if it costs more than the hotels? I ask because the common complaint is that our services are on their arse and we’re paying for asylum seekers to sit in hotels. If we are still paying the same money or more to deport people by long haul flight and then paying the recipient country to host them, is that palatable? I don’t know. I don’t know the figures.
If there was an easy answer to this issue it would have been solved.
Oh do piss off. I’ve literally said “shooting the boats” is hideous, inhumane and mustn’t happen. It’s right up there. I wrote it
As for “Rwanda”, we are spending £4-5bn on hotels etc - and rising. Add in the long term fiscal drag of migrants who will always be a net negative on the economy and we’re talking billions more
Plus all the social fracturing and decay that comes with illegal immigration
So we can afford to spend a LOT on a version of Rwanda and still save vast amounts of money. What’s more as soon as we start doing this properly - despatching every single boat person to faraway dismal-place, then the boats will stop. Very quickly. No one will bother crossing if you can’t stay in Britain
Sorted
A huge number of successful businesses are run by migrants, and someone who is willing to travel half way across the world, with a channel crossing being just one dangerous element, suggests we're dealing with people who have huge drive. I worked with refugees before the boat crossings, but one thing that stood out consistently was that they were counting the days till they were able to apply to work.
What's so beautiful in this post is that you can't see the rich irony in it.
You'll have to explain. The first few explanations for your comment that jumped to mind were pretty grim, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, that you have some more justifiable reason.
You are unable to work out that the one thing that stood out consistently, that they were counting the days till they were able to apply to work, is because they are economic migrants.
That one popped into my head, but I thought I'd credit you with a little more intelligence. Sadly not. Maybe don't think the first thing that pops into your head is correct, and therefore no more thought is required*
Now consider you're an asylum seeker, coming from somewhere like Iraq, Syria, Iran or Afghanistan. You've made the journey to the UK. What do you want to do? Sit around in a hotel, with your little handout, doing nothing? Or perhaps you're desperate to do something with your days? It may be tricky to comprehend, but those people counting down, were also pretty grateful to have been "welcomed", and were keen to be contributing, rather than taking (and I wasn't in a position where they would benefit from telling me this - I got to know many refugees very well, and it may be difficult to believe, but that thought process of wanting to contribute was very common).
I am curious though. How would you want an asylum seeker to behave, to not be classed in a negative fashion? Surely the alternative to being desperate to work is that they were quite content to sit around and live off state handouts. I don't like to assume, but I find it hard to believe that's what you'd prefer.
*I'm only teasing of course. Your comment about the dense Liberal herd amused me (I do realise that there are plenty of people who appear not to understood your arguments today, so realise it wasn't aimed directly at me), and thought you'd enjoy a little in return. One of the beauties of this site, after all, is that it's not an echo chamber.
I'd want them to not come at all, they haven't been specifically invited. Put into a detention camp to await deportation to a designated safe third country or voluntary return to their home country if they don't want to end up in Rwanda.
No one who hasn't been specifically invited by the government to seek asylum, currently Hong Kongers, Ukrainians and about 3,000 Afghani translators is owed anything and certainly not entitled to remain in the country. It is our soft touch system that allows them to stay and this soft touch system is going to result in a Reform majority government and PM Nige. People are simply fed up, how many of the arrested terrorists do you think we're migrants? What have they added to the nation, enriched us by trying to bomb the Israeli embassy and costing us millions in surveillance, court cases and supermax prison time. Simply refuse them in the first place and deport them to a safe third country or they return home voluntarily. No right of appeal, no prolonged court cases, just refusal and deportation within a week of arrival.
A big & lamentable shift. “The plan provides for the “conquering of Gaza” and retaining the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. The security cabinet unanimously approved the plan to expand the Gaza operation, the official said.” www.timesofisrael.com/israel-okays...
Sounds like a plan that might defeat Hamas and end the cycle of violence.
I don't hear any others that might.
That’s what Putin said about Ukraine.
We benefit from a presumption that conquest is always wrong
I must have missed Ukrainians invading Russia, killing thousands, kidnapping hundreds and raping many. Perhaps you can tell me when that happened, or STFU with the false comparison.
Israel is perfectly entitled to wipe out Hamas and they have every right to do so - and Gaza is stateless currently, there is no Palestinian state, it was Egyptian and Egypt abandoned it, so if Israel ends up annexing it and the Palestinians end up back in Egypt or in other Middle Eastern states then I have no qualms with that whatsoever.
Serves Hamas right for what they did. Karma's a bitch.
Conquest is a bad thing. Regardless of any claimed justification. As a medium sized nation we benefit from global institutions.
What Hamas and its allies did in Israel was unfathomable. Israel had every right to react robustly and I was (and am) a strong supporter of their right to do so.
But that doesn’t give them a carte blanche to withhold food from the general population. That is a war crime. It doesn’t give them the right to invade and conquer a neighbouring territory.
I believe Gaza was the one that invaded israel on the 7th of october
It was from Gaza not by Gaza.
Who is the government of Gaza? Oh thats right its hamas....who invaded israel...oh thats right it was hamas. However given your statement maybe we should send the royal marines to retake calais then say hey wasn't the uk it was just from the uk
It was not an official act by the state, but actions by individual who are members of the governing party.
In any event starving civilians is a war crime and that is what the Israeli government is doing
Should we have sent food to germany in ww2?
And sorry it wasnt an action by the governing party but members of the governing party? For one if you think the hamas government had no knowledge of the intended action I have a bridge to sell you, for two if members of the labour party invaded france do you really think the french wouldnt take that as an act of war?
They are restricting suppliers from international relief agencies from entering Gaza. That is against the Geneva Conventions.
I am sure that members of the Hamas government (which is not legitimately elected) knew about the attack. That still does not make it more than a particularly horrific terrorist act. I have no issue with them seeking reprisals and overthrowing Hamas. That is not the same as conquering territory.
As far as I am aware unless you can show evidence otherwise the 2006 election that swept hamas into power with 42% of the vote was perfectly legitimate
The *2006* election
That doesn’t bestow permanent legitimacy
Didn't claim it did but just like the us voting for trump they got elected in a free and fair election intially the fact they turned it into a perpetual fiefdom doesn't change that....hell not having read hamas's manifesto might even be what they campaigned on for all I know
Hamas attacked their partners in the post election government and threw them out
Hamas won 74 seats out of 132....ie 56% of seats....they didnt need a partner to form a government
But how many people who voted for them in 2006 are still alive now?
I don’t know, but the median age in Gaza is 18. Therefore the majority of Gazans today were not even alive in 2006.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Oh fuck, no! Not the "high-end interior decorators". The country's fucked. Can you please somehow beg her to stay? Who is going to arrange decorative twigs in large, beige coloured vases?
In the end the Yookay will just be you, your souped up motor tricycles, three old DVDs of Are You Being Served and 48 trillion Turkish vape shops selling Caribbean halal chicken nuggets to Nigerian Deliveroo drivers on crack
This is the man who cooperated with an article in The Sun by trying to make the journalist’s breast size larger using hypnotherapy.
"Polanski was active in the Liberal Democrats. He stood in the Barnet and Camden constituency and was fifth on the London-wide list for the party in the 2016 London Assembly election.[5] He then left the Liberal Democrats and joined the Green Party in 2017. "
The US government was paying for the TeleMessage version of Signal since 2023, in a Federal contract. Specifically to meet Government rules on retaining an archive of all messages.
The US government was paying for the TeleMessage version of Signal since 2023, in a Federal contract. Specifically to meet Government rules on retaining an archive of all messages.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
Was chatting to a GP about to finish her training. She expects to be unemployed or doing hospital shift work by summer because there aren't enough GP jobs, due to lack of funding... seems mad.
Are they calling for reforming social care, or protecting people's inheritances?
Happy for the former, not a penny of taxpayers money should go for the latter.
100 percent IHT on everything?
That's a spicy take for this early in the morning.
(I mean, it's the least bad stage of life to tax things, and the current balance of taxation makes inheritance way too important in terms of getting on with life, and I am half-joking, but still...)
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Don't worry. As every socialist knows, we'll be happy if we're all poor, as long as we're all EQUALLY poor.
The US government was paying for the TeleMessage version of Signal since 2023, in a Federal contract. Specifically to meet Government rules on retaining an archive of all messages.
So it predates Trump and his mob?
Looks like. Though who/what it was for is not clear.
Seems very probable that it was as a result of trying to add the Federal archiving requirement to Signal use.
Note for @kinabalu and friends - this is exactly the kind of backdoor the U.K. government is demanding that Signal install. And exactly why Signal said they would rather quit the U.K., than install such a backdoor.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Oh fuck, no! Not the "high-end interior decorators". The country's fucked. Can you please somehow beg her to stay? Who is going to arrange decorative twigs in large, beige coloured vases?
We’ve already lost British Union of Fascists Barbie Oakeshott and her glorified estate agent boyfriend to Dubai, I think we can all agree that the UK is the worse* for this loss.
Around £102m in new funding will be committed to expanding and modernising GP surgeries, the government says. More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
And the million of extra appointments from closing down non-dom status?
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Don't worry. As every socialist knows, we'll be happy if we're all poor, as long as we're all EQUALLY poor.
Except of course for the people running the country, they need extra food for all the brain power.
Let's not forget some animals are more equal than others
The US government was paying for the TeleMessage version of Signal since 2023, in a Federal contract. Specifically to meet Government rules on retaining an archive of all messages.
So it predates Trump and his mob?
Looks like. Though who/what it was for is not clear.
Seems very probable that it was as a result of trying to add the Federal archiving requirement to Signal use.
Note for @kinabalu and friends - this is exactly the kind of backdoor the U.K. government is demanding that Signal install. And exactly why Signal said they would rather quit the U.K., than install such a backdoor.
I wouldn't exactly be shocked to find that during Biden administration a load of officials were doing the same thing with Signal / Telemessage groups. Maybe not sharing the top secret military mission ETA, but being far too relaxed general cyber security and sending things around in groups that should not be (especially when this service has a backdoor).
Comments
Good to know where Bollywood is, Donald.
However its why people are up in arms, it seems to a lot that asylum seekers are treated better than citizens
https://x.com/FrankAmari2/status/1919366990918979892
Reform apparently hate working from home but have just put up a load of jobs that have working from home.
The communications app TeleMessage, which was spotted on former US national security adviser Mike Waltz's phone, has suspended “all services” as it investigates reports of at least one breach.
https://bsky.app/profile/wired.com/post/3lohcwsvig42c
(Which could well turn out to be the party motto.)
Signal without the security…
(this was the output of the YT overlay generator)
What’s the point of the UK doing any deal if it doesn’t lower those tariffs . And now Trump is threatening to screw film production in the UK this has complicated things further.
Most countries don’t extend state visits to those who are actively trying to fxck some of their businesses. It’s just pitiful that the UK government has demeaned itself and is becoming a total embarrassment with this desperate fawning over Trump .
We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does! All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us. Without the United States, the War would have been won by other Countries, and what a different World it would be. Therefore, I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945. We will not be closing the Country for these two very important Holidays, November 11 and May 8, World War I and World War II, because we already have too many Holidays in America — There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now! Documentation to follow. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/05/reform-accused-of-seeking-ban-on-flying-ukrainian-flags-over-council-buildings
Keir Starmer’s senior team has been discussing for several weeks how to handle public anger over the policy, which bubbled over in last Thursday’s local elections, when the party lost two-thirds of the council seats it was defending.
While a full reversal of the cut is not expected, No 10 sources said they were considering whether to increase the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/05/no-10-reviewing-winter-fuel-payment-cut-after-labour-slump-in-local-elections
This will end up with the savings being the the square root of f##k all and they won't get any credit for reversing it. They could have increased the tax rich oldies pay in more stealthier ways and end up with more money.
I wouldn't be surprised though if we end up with some sort of scheme that requires more paperwork invalidating the small amount of savings even more.
MPs charging £1.1m to rent from their own party is ‘extremely questionable’, says pressure group
...
Twelve Labour MPs including Ellie Reeves, the Labour chairman [sic], have constituency offices in buildings owned by Labour.
In total, more than £1.1 million has been spent by the taxpayer on rent for these 12 properties since 2010.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/05/taxpayers-money-spent-on-renting-constituency-offices/ (£££)
You need to read a fair way down to learn that Conservative MPs do similar, including Kemi.
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/eton-harrow-match-at-lords-clashes-with-exam-timetable-nqp6crr8b (£££)
You'd think that would be question 1 in GCSE Scheduling Cricket Matches.
The £174.50 licence fee is now the third most expensive in Europe. The BBC cost is rising as other nations cut or axe their TV tax altogether
https://inews.co.uk/news/media/how-much-uk-pays-tv-licence-fee-compared-germany-italy-switzerland-3676024
More than 1,000 surgeries will benefit from the cash boost to upgrade and create additional space for doctors to see more patients.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx28erkmm3yo
£100k per surgery, that will get you half a GP. Or are they talking about upgrading the building, again £100k won't get you much these days.
Yeah, right.
Was talking to a friend over the weekend down to Devon from St. John's Wood. High-end interior decorator. She is very worried for her business because of the number of people leaving the UK. She and her husband would be off to Dubai too, if it weren't for their children's education. If they discover education of a high enough standard, I suspect they will be gone.
And their lost annual tax alone would have upgraded several surgeries each year.
Er...Wifey likes Race Across the World.
Eluned Morgan will distance herself from Starmer’s government in a speech on Tuesday billed by allies as a reset moment for Welsh Labour to counter the threats from Reform UK and Plaid Cymru.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/06/eluned-morgan-to-set-out-red-welsh-way-in-speech-criticising-starmer
He could just he flat-out lying.
F1: Audi restructure themselves a bit. Again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/c9vew1xvzzgo
It all makes sense now.
https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70FA3123F00000028_7022_70RTAC21D00000006_7001
The US government was paying for the TeleMessage version of Signal since 2023, in a Federal contract. Specifically to meet Government rules on retaining an archive of all messages.
Contactless is better, don't even need a card just pay with your phone. No need for dead trees or messy coins.
Happy for the former, not a penny of taxpayers money should go for the latter.
That's a spicy take for this early in the morning.
(I mean, it's the least bad stage of life to tax things, and the current balance of taxation makes inheritance way too important in terms of getting on with life, and I am half-joking, but still...)
Seems very probable that it was as a result of trying to add the Federal archiving requirement to Signal use.
Note for @kinabalu and friends - this is exactly the kind of backdoor the U.K. government is demanding that Signal install. And exactly why Signal said they would rather quit the U.K., than install such a backdoor.
*better
Let's not forget some animals are more equal than others
I am sure its the same in the UK.