I really think Labour has a good chance of being re-elected.
You keep repeating this but there is no evidence that labour is showing any signs of recovery either in Starmer's ratings or his government
Indeed the Burnham story will dominate throught to May, and when Scotland and Wales is a likely bloodbath
Last night labour lost 48.5% of their vote share in Flintshire, and it looks like Plaid will annihilate labour in Wales with reform underperforming
You are very much a loyal Starmerite, but I just do not see a recovery especially post May when Starmer may well have a real fight on his hands to remain the labour leader and PM
Predictions about the politically remote future (over 3 years in this case) have to be based on beliefs and intuitions about what will happen in the future gap, and cannot possibly be based on the snap shot of today or the last few months. Yes, it is informed and thoughtful guesswork. The belief (which I share) is that there are reasons for thinking there will be a recovery for Labour. Personally I do not think I know who will lead the next government. Except that it won't be Reform. If it is led from the left of centre, it will be Labour. And it might.
After May they are likely to be in a terrible position having lost Scotland and Wales and loads of council seats, let alone the potential chaos of the by election in Greater Manchester
Of course 3 years is a long time but I cannot see a recovery under Starmer that would put labour back in government
In Scotland polls give a swing from SNP to Labour since 2021
But much smaller than the swing from Labour to Reform. Labour will suffer a bigger net loss of seats than the SNP. Who do you think will be the official opposition in Scotland and Wales in May, @HYUFD, and everyone else?
The swing from SNP to Reform is bigger than the Scottish swing from Labour to Reform so Labour could take second given polls also show the Scottish Tories collapsing from official opposition at Holyrood in 2021 to fourth now.
In Wales though Reform will likely be main opposition with Labour collapsing to third
So a net swing on seats from SNP to Labour. On that poll also a net swing from SNP and Green to Unionist parties at Holyrood since 2021 as well
I don't think those seats totals are far off, on today's polling
Not much for a gain for Labour if the net loss is 2 seats! That would be a disaster for Scottish Labour if they lost seats on their 2021 result, bear in mind the 22 seats they won then was their lowest total ever in a Holyrood election.
Reform polling has cooled slightly in the past couple of months, the big question is can Labour, Tories (or others) chisel more away from Reform or is there an embedded floor in their vote. I think a lot of working class/previous non voters will turn out and vote for them, so would expect 12/low teens Reform MSPs to be elected at least. Glasgow will be their toughest region to get 2 MSPs.
Interestingly, the SNP won 2 list seats in 2021, 1 in Highlands, 1 in South of Scotland. I'd be surprised if they won any this year, given the drop in their list vote and fierce competition from the Greens.
There is a fairly fine margin between the SNP holding almost all of their central belt constituencies and Labour winning scores via a domino effect (as seen in the 2024GE) but Sarwar and Labour's polling has went into reverse since June 2025. I'd give more chance of John Swinney winning a majority in 2026 than I would of Mr Sarwar becoming FM this year, going by how far Labour trail.
Yes the SNP have lost approx 10% of their vote, but the split opposition will see them nudge over 55 seats again
Perhaps but if unionist tactical voting sees Labour gain constituency seats from the SNP and Reform gain more list seats than the Greens then a unionist majority is very possible even if Swinney remains FM
Morning HYUFD,
Best hope of that is to knock SNP down to somewhere near Ecks 2007 total of 47 seats, where Green votes added wouldn't take the SNP above a 65 majority.
I think the unionist vote is split too many ways for that to happen this time. There are a handful of seats i think Labour will challenge in, more affluent suburbs where Reform are weak, but that apart they will struggle.
I think the Tories *may* hold on in Aberdeenshire and South of Scotland/Borders, but that will depend on keeping Reform at bay. Reform are shooting themselves in the foot for being a Farage one man band who haven't declared any MSP candidates yet, but far be it for me to criticise them. Ground game and candidate choice have been crucial in some of the Scottish by elections recently
The race for the keys to Bute House will start getting more entertaining as we near Easter. Wales looks a lot more competitive this time
Watching Republican voters being asked if they preferred The Affordable Care Act to Obamacare and all of them preferred the Affordable Care Act because they hated Obama.
They were all pleased to see the back of Obamacare because it is unAmerican and socialist. They were all shocked to learn it is the same thing, and now their premiums have doubled, tripled and quadrupled. Turkeys voting for Christmas.
Obamacare won in 2012 when Romney wanted to end it. The 2024 election was more a vote for Trump not woke Harris, tougher border security and deportations and tariffs on imports, especially from China
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
I've just come in from the pub - what's happened to elicit such enthusiasm?
Not a thing. He says much the same every day. Utterly deluded. I think it's a form of self therapy.
Triggered? Isn't Roger allowed an opinion? Am I not allowed an opinion?
Does anyone get upset when you fly your blue flag? Go ahead, fill your boots.
How many u-turns is that now? Has he managed to get anything through? Other than abortion up to delivery day, the abolition of trans, and possibly the annihilation of the Labour party.
IIUC they agrees to the deal in the first place because America wanted it so it would be weird to carry on with it now America has decided it doesn't want it.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Watching Republican voters being asked if they preferred The Affordable Care Act to Obamacare and all of them preferred the Affordable Care Act because they hated Obama.
They were all pleased to see the back of Obamacare because it is unAmerican and socialist. They were all shocked to learn it is the same thing, and now their premiums have doubled, tripled and quadrupled. Turkeys voting for Christmas.
Obamacare won in 2012 when Romney wanted to end it. The 2024 election was more a vote for Trump not woke Harris, tougher border security and deportations and tariffs on imports, especially from China
Dying because one can't pay health insurance is probably not a great trade off for performative cruelty to non-whites.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Stop watching them then. By that point, Germany had already changed its citizenship laws and nothing of the kind has happened in the US.
How many u-turns is that now? Has he managed to get anything through? Other than abortion up to delivery day, the abolition of trans, and possibly the annihilation of the Labour party.
On the other hand, never U-turning is just as bad as doing a lot of them.
So it's not just that he's bad, he's incompetent at it?
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Stop watching them then. By that point, Germany had already changed its citizenship laws and nothing of the kind has happened in the US.
But the evidence is clear. Have you not seen evidence of green card holders beaten up, arrested and sent for weeks to detention camps? For example the woman from Ireland. What about clear violation of 1st Amendment rights. The highly partisan DOJ prosecuting Comey, Tish James, Schiff and Jack Smith, oh and the execution of Renee Good and 100 Venezuelan fisherman. I can say they are fisherman because there was no due process to prove otherwise.
I would have thought after Trump's disingenuous lies regarding British service personnel in Afghanistan you would have kept a low profile until Trump stfu and the coast was clear
I'll carry on watching reality and you can keep being educated by Jesse Watters and Maria Bartiromo.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
I've just come in from the pub - what's happened to elicit such enthusiasm?
Not a thing. He says much the same every day. Utterly deluded. I think it's a form of self therapy.
Triggered? Isn't Roger allowed an opinion? Am I not allowed an opinion?
Does anyone get upset when you fly your blue flag? Go ahead, fill your boots.
Roger is absolutely allowed an opinion. But I'm curious about what has happened in the last few hours to make him so happy? I genuinely can't see what's changed since I was here at about teatime.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
I've just come in from the pub - what's happened to elicit such enthusiasm?
Not a thing. He says much the same every day. Utterly deluded. I think it's a form of self therapy.
Triggered? Isn't Roger allowed an opinion? Am I not allowed an opinion?
Does anyone get upset when you fly your blue flag? Go ahead, fill your boots.
Roger is absolutely allowed an opinion. But I'm curious about what has happened in the last few hours to make him so happy? I genuinely can't see what's changed since I was here at about teatime.
Maybe he really thought Trump was going to invade Greenland and really thought the European response stopped him.
Maybe he's right. Though I would think on balance it was all Art of the Deal crap, odious though that is.
AI is still giving incorrect results for elections. I asked for a constituency result for 1983 and Google AI gave me the correct result but for 1987 instead.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Stop watching them then. By that point, Germany had already changed its citizenship laws and nothing of the kind has happened in the US.
The people of America are subject to random detention, mistreatment to the point of death, and deportation without due process by an unregulated unbadged armed militia answerable only to federal officials. I'd say their citizenship laws are pretty much fucked, yes?
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Stop watching them then. By that point, Germany had already changed its citizenship laws and nothing of the kind has happened in the US.
The people of America are subject to random detention, mistreatment to the point of death, and deportation without due process by an unregulated unbadged armed militia answerable only to federal officials. I'd say their citizenship laws are pretty much fucked, yes?
It’s not fanciful to say that Trump and many of his followers are fascists.
Yet, by 1936 in Germany, they’d witnessed the Night of the Long Knives, the suppression of non-Nazi parties, sports clubs, and trade unions, and the extinction of democracy.
I repeat myself but Starmer needs to call a Rejoin referendum while Trump is still in office. There's no way Trump is going to be able to STFU for the duration of the campaign and when he opens his mouth he'll win it for Rejoin.
Can we set up a 6-month long World Trump Golf tournament with him entering against Tiger Woods, Rory Mcilroy etc? Two rounds of golf a day for months to come to the conclusion Trump is the best golf player of all time.
I would fake even just a few weeks of distraction from the harm he causes in his day job.
Reminds me of that time Kim Jong Il hit a round of 38 under on the 72 par Pyongyang golf course in 1994, in his first ever round of golf.
Of course, I'm sure everyone in North Korea who disagreed with his scorecard lived to tell the tale
It served as a test, just like President Trump's absurd claims about his inauguration crowds first time round.
How many u-turns is that now? Has he managed to get anything through? Other than abortion up to delivery day, the abolition of trans, and possibly the annihilation of the Labour party.
I'm delighted with any u-turn that stops our government giving away strategically important sovereign British territory, and putting us on the hook to pay for it as taxpayers for 100 years.
How many u-turns is that now? Has he managed to get anything through? Other than abortion up to delivery day, the abolition of trans, and possibly the annihilation of the Labour party.
On the other hand, never U-turning is just as bad as doing a lot of them.
You don't need to if you make good decisions to start with.
It is a rather unusual way to commit suicide, to convince half a dozen burly ICE agents to sit on your chest.
There's going to be a massive legal operation against these agents in the years to come.
Not unless there's another Democratic president.
The FBI agent who sought to investigate the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, according to two people familiar with the matter, after leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into the officer. https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/2014839329009631452
Civil rights legislation is the means by which federal murder charges can be brought in this case - and the FBI have denied state police access to evidence in an attempt to prevent them bringing charges in connection with the homicude.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
Stop watching them then. By that point, Germany had already changed its citizenship laws and nothing of the kind has happened in the US.
The people of America are subject to random detention, mistreatment to the point of death, and deportation without due process by an unregulated unbadged armed militia answerable only to federal officials. I'd say their citizenship laws are pretty much fucked, yes?
It’s not fanciful to say that Trump and many of his followers are fascists.
Yet, by 1936 in Germany, they’d witnessed the Night of the Long Knives, the suppression of non-Nazi parties, sports clubs, and trade unions, and the extinction of democracy.
The exaggeration was in the year. During the first year after capturing the chancellery in ‘33, they focused on converting their minority power into total control, neutralised their left wing opponents with a combination of new laws and extra-parliamentary violence, made sure the legal system was under their thumb, and eliminated or captured control of almost every arm of civic society. The story in Evans’s book of how almost all the fabric and ‘checks and balances’ of a democratic society were swept away and any source of potential opposition was neutralised, starting from a position of minority support and in a stunningly short period of time, is a fascinating and salutary one - made easier of course by the economic trauma of hyperinflation followed by depression that the country had been through, which in most people’s eyes utterly discredited the moderate centre of politics and sent voters to one extreme or the other, and served to justify, at least to begin with, dramatic intervention by the new government.
And if Tim Montgomery genuinely believes putting a third rate, barely coherent charlatan like Jenrick in charge of economic policy shows Farage is thinking deeply about government or will make Refuck look like a government in waiting, then he needs medical help, and I am not joking.
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The next few years of Trump will follow this pattern until he eventually separates his target (the US) from all its friends.
Key Psychological Aspects of Abusers
Need for Control: The primary goal is maintaining power over the partner, often by controlling their daily activities, finances, and social interactions.
Manipulation Tactics: Abusers use gaslighting (making victims doubt their sanity), love-bombing (intense affection early on), and isolation from friends/family.
Normalization of Violence: Many abusers have histories of childhood trauma or abuse, leading them to normalize violent behavior and lack healthy conflict resolution skills.
Trauma Bonding: Abusers use a cycle of abuse and affection ("dosing") to create intense,, dependent emotional bonds that make it difficult for victims to leave.
Projection and Blame: Perpetrators often justify their actions by accusing victims of causing the abuse or belittling them.
You simply have to step back and ride the storm as best you can. Intervention will never yield results unless it is internal (US) intervention. When Zelenskyy said 'Don't try to change Trump' he has an insight that few others have.
It is a rather unusual way to commit suicide, to convince half a dozen burly ICE agents to sit on your chest.
There's going to be a massive legal operation against these agents in the years to come.
Not unless there's another Democratic president.
The FBI agent who sought to investigate the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, according to two people familiar with the matter, after leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into the officer. https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/2014839329009631452
Civil rights legislation is the means by which federal murder charges can be brought in this case - and the FBI have denied state police access to evidence in an attempt to prevent them bringing charges in connection with the homicude.
They need to bring well-funded civil actions. OJ Simpson evaded criminal justice, but the civil courts took all he owned.
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Good morning, everyone.
Nice idea. It won't happen. Tribal love of sport will see to that.
The usual suspects in the punditocracy - especially key Tory commentators - have never taken Reform seriously and they were in full denial mode on the day Jenrick defected.
@Nigel_Farage never saw Rob as a slightly bigger than normal defection. He was always much more to him.
He watched RJ v closely and decised he was the person who could, over this parliament, make Reform at least as trusted as any other party on the economy.
And he seems to be taking thia opportunity to settle Reform's other biggest beasts - the people he has lesrnt to most trust - into posts they'll hold throughout opposition and into govt. All part of the deep preparedness he knows the nation'a deep problems require. Reform is obviously an against-the-odds project and plenty can and will go wrong but there is a plan taking shape and being underestimated hasn't hurt us so far.
What Trumplstiltskin's tantrums are showing us is that Reform is NOT a fundamentally serious party. At its heart it is a simply vanity vehicle for Farage. That would be the Farage who takes plenty of money from Russians and Americans so he can cosplay as being a defender of Btitish interests.
With Farage's major political achievement- Brexit- now seen by a large majority as a mistake, and the hostility of Trump demonstrating why the EU is a critical part of our own defence network, the core selling point of "Reforn" is destroyed.
So all Jenrick has done is confirm his own tin ear for politics and ended up joining the political Adams family of kooks and spooks in the far right Farage fun house.
As for Nigel- the fat lady is clearing her throat.
The usual suspects in the punditocracy - especially key Tory commentators - have never taken Reform seriously and they were in full denial mode on the day Jenrick defected.
@Nigel_Farage never saw Rob as a slightly bigger than normal defection. He was always much more to him.
He watched RJ v closely and decised he was the person who could, over this parliament, make Reform at least as trusted as any other party on the economy.
And he seems to be taking thia opportunity to settle Reform's other biggest beasts - the people he has lesrnt to most trust - into posts they'll hold throughout opposition and into govt. All part of the deep preparedness he knows the nation'a deep problems require. Reform is obviously an against-the-odds project and plenty can and will go wrong but there is a plan taking shape and being underestimated hasn't hurt us so far.
What Trumplstiltskin's tantrums are showing us is that Reform is NOT a fundamentally serious party. At its heart it is a simply vanity vehicle for Farage. That would be the Farage who takes plenty of money from Russians and Americans so he can cosplay as being a defender of Btitish interests.
With Farage's major political achievement- Brexit- now seen by a large majority as a mistake, and the hostility of Trump demonstrating why the EU is a critical part of our own defence network, the core selling point of "Reforn" is destroyed.
So all Jenrick has done is confirm his own tin ear for politics and ended up joining the political Adams family of kooks and spooks in the far right Farage fun house.
As for Nigel- the fat lady is clearing her throat.
Good .morning
All that is true but they still lead the opinion polls
Hopefully that will change but when, that is the question ?
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Good morning, everyone.
Nice idea. It won't happen. Tribal love of sport will see to that.
The elegant solution, by which I mean the one that WS Gilbert would come up with, would be for the Nobel Prize Committee to very quickly set up a Nobel World Cup.
And if Tim Montgomery genuinely believes putting a third rate, barely coherent charlatan like Jenrick in charge of economic policy shows Farage is thinking deeply about government or will make Refuck look like a government in waiting, then he needs medical help, and I am not joking.
Thank God we’ve got Rachel Reeves as chancellor to show the folly of,such a choice !,
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
I was saying this last week.
I still favour it.
Won’t happen, of course, more people care about soccer than what’s going on with Trump.
More people are interested in Brooklyn Beckhams spat with his parents.
And if Tim Montgomery genuinely believes putting a third rate, barely coherent charlatan like Jenrick in charge of economic policy shows Farage is thinking deeply about government or will make Refuck look like a government in waiting, then he needs medical help, and I am not joking.
Thank God we’ve got Rachel Reeves as chancellor to show the folly of,such a choice !,
Jenrick makes Rachel Reeves look like Mark Carney.
It's pleasant to fantasise about Trump's behaviour systematically exterminating the populist right throughout the world, country by country, culminating in a Democratic landslide in the next US presidential election, leaving the Republicans unelectable for a generation ...
It's pleasant to fantasise about Trump's behaviour systematically exterminating the populist right throughout the world, country by country, culminating in a Democratic landslide in the next US presidential election, leaving the Republicans unelectable for a generation ...
No it isn't.
That implies the Republicans might be back in 20-30 years.
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
I was saying this last week.
I still favour it.
Won’t happen, of course, more people care about soccer than what’s going on with Trump.
More people are interested in Brooklyn Beckhams spat with his parents.
Doesn't one of the big polling firms do a regular "what news have you heard about this week?" survey? It would be interesting (in a bad way, I fear) to know that for this week.
90 seconds and you're up to date on Heart might be a poor show, but that's better than a Facebook feed with a load of trollbots pretending to deliver news.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who had not been paying attention, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
In the past he has said it in the US for a US audience with a US press corp.
This time he did it in Davos.
Much of our current predicament I think has been fueled by a press corp consistently sanewashing a guy who is mentally unstable
"Today the President made the following remarks"
No
Today the senile old man said the following insane things
And if Tim Montgomery genuinely believes putting a third rate, barely coherent charlatan like Jenrick in charge of economic policy shows Farage is thinking deeply about government or will make Refuck look like a government in waiting, then he needs medical help, and I am not joking.
Thank God we’ve got Rachel Reeves as chancellor to show the folly of,such a choice !,
Jenrick makes Rachel Reeves look like Mark Carney.
And Rachel Reeves looks nothing like Mark Carney!
Mark Carney was a pretty poor governor of the Bank of England. So that’s not really a complement. He may be an improvement on the previous leader of Canada, but again that’s not saying much and there is always votes and online likes and retweets for standing up to Trump.
Quite frankly we don’t know how effective or otherwise Jenrick will be as shadow chancellor. We will have to see.
It’s good to see Reform putting some names in place as shadows of offices. If they want to be seen as a govt in waiting they need to put a team in place who can have a portfolio and then they can be held to scrutiny.
Given Tim Montgomerie has well chronicled health issues including being born premature perhaps you can blame that for his views of Mr Jenrick ?
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who had not been paying attention, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
In the past he has said it in the US for a US audience with a US press corp.
This time he did it in Davos.
Much of our current predicament I think has been fueled by a press corp consistently sanewashing a guy who is mentally unstable
"Today the President made the following remarks"
No
Today the senile old man said the following insane things
Today the senile nasty old man said the following insane things
Senility mostly reveals, rather than changes, personality. A fundamentally benign old man whose mind was slowing down, an elderly monk say, wouldn't be so much of a problem.
Having said that, DJT was obviously not fundamentally benign even before age caught up with him.
I've done My Week: Donald Trump (again) for tomorrow. My first draft genuinely had a joke about Trump thinking there were penguins in Greenland but I took it out because it seemed too stupid.
The next few years of Trump will follow this pattern until he eventually separates his target (the US) from all its friends.
Key Psychological Aspects of Abusers
Need for Control: The primary goal is maintaining power over the partner, often by controlling their daily activities, finances, and social interactions.
Manipulation Tactics: Abusers use gaslighting (making victims doubt their sanity), love-bombing (intense affection early on), and isolation from friends/family.
Normalization of Violence: Many abusers have histories of childhood trauma or abuse, leading them to normalize violent behavior and lack healthy conflict resolution skills.
Trauma Bonding: Abusers use a cycle of abuse and affection ("dosing") to create intense,, dependent emotional bonds that make it difficult for victims to leave.
Projection and Blame: Perpetrators often justify their actions by accusing victims of causing the abuse or belittling them.
You simply have to step back and ride the storm as best you can. Intervention will never yield results unless it is internal (US) intervention. When Zelenskyy said 'Don't try to change Trump' he has an insight that few others have.
‘The next few years of Trump will follow this pattern until he eventually separates his target (the US) from all its friends.’
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
My excitement is that Starmer has done the right thing for the first time for at least a year. He's untied himself and us from Trump. He will get some credit and it'll turn out to be the beginning of a new direction. He has no choice. We are now firmly in the Carney Macron EU camp and more important he has joined the Human Beings and now sees Trump for what he is and the public are with him.
Yesterday was a very good day for the centre left though not everyone can see it yet. Charlie wont go visiting and if Starmer gets good advice he'll welcome Burnham with open arms and a new confident Starmer government will emerge.
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
My excitement is that Starmer has done the right thing for the first time for at least a year. He's untied himself and us from Trump. He will get some credit and it'll turn out to be the beginning of a new direction. He has no choice. We are now firmly in the Carney Macron EU camp and more important he has joined the Human Beings and now sees Trump for what he is and the public are with him.
Yesterday was a very good day for the centre left though not everyone can see it yet. Charlie wont go visiting and if Starmer gets good advice he'll welcome Burnham with open arms and a new confident Starmer government will emerge.
A firmer rejection of the Board of Peace would be welcome.
The desire to see Reform beaten requires the conservatives and Badenoch to rise, not least because there will always be a 40-50% vote on the right
Attacking Reform and Badenoch is counter productive not least because Badenoch is making progress and needs to
It is interesting that the conservatives and lib dems have worked together in the HOL over the under 16 phone ban but also on the cancelled locals
We are all impressed with Carney but as my eldest who lives in Vancouver said, he is popular because he followed a very unpopular Trudeau but he has also tacked to the right cutting taxes and supporting business, a lesson Reeves could learn
The Burnham circus arrives in Liverpool today with Rayner making a speech supporting him and by tonight we should know the outcome
I do not see a recovery in labours fortunes anytime soon
After a terrible week who could have predicted it would end so well? I've always liked the saying about the dawn following the darkest night and so it has turned out. All we need is the foul stench that is Farage to get the opprobrium he deserves and we can all go home happy.
If you were watching the Dem/ anti-Trump YouTube channels I watch you would be completely depressed. In Nazi terms we are somewhere around 1936.
My excitement is that Starmer has done the right thing for the first time for at least a year. He's untied himself and us from Trump. He will get some credit and it'll turn out to be the beginning of a new direction. He has no choice. We are now firmly in the Carney Macron EU camp and more important he has joined the Human Beings and now sees Trump for what he is and the public are with him.
Yesterday was a very good day for the centre left though not everyone can see it yet. Charlie wont go visiting and if Starmer gets good advice he'll welcome Burnham with open arms and a new confident Starmer government will emerge.
A firmer rejection of the Board of Peace would be welcome.
Agree and it'll happen. I watch a lot of films and I'm good at seeing plot twists before they happen!
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
The desire to see Reform beaten requires the conservatives and Badenoch to rise, not least because there will always be a 40-50% vote on the right
Attacking Reform and Badenoch is counter productive not least because Badenoch is making progress and needs to
It is interesting that the conservatives and lib dems have worked together in the HOL over the under 16 phone ban but also on the cancelled locals
We are all impressed with Carney but as my eldest who lives in Vancouver said, he is popular because he followed a very unpopular Trudeau but he has also tacked to the right cutting taxes and supporting business, a lesson Reeves could learn
The Burnham circus arrives in Liverpool today with Rayner making a speech supporting him and by tonight we should know the outcome
I do not see a recovery in labours fortunes anytime soon
Trudeau was a bad joke, definitely not a leader for serious times.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who had not been paying attention, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
In the past he has said it in the US for a US audience with a US press corp.
This time he did it in Davos.
Much of our current predicament I think has been fueled by a press corp consistently sanewashing a guy who is mentally unstable
"Today the President made the following remarks"
No
Today the senile old man said the following insane things
Today the senile old man said the following insane things that he’d previously said
The problem is that the basic claim, never mind the leaning tower of nonsense he builds on it, is entirely fictional.
It's actually about a move * to discourage use of Oasis flower foam, because it is petroleum based and leaves behind residue that that lasts centuries in the soil; in a churchyard that is held for 1000 years that is important. And there are alternatives available to Oasis. There's also a move to encourage use of local flowers, which I would expect to be supported by nationalists of the JRM ilk.
I think he is perhaps just reacting to twitter, and has a marketing need to fondle his outraged minority.
* For nerds, this is a nice illustration of how it works. A parish voted on a motion, which has gone up through the system and is now in General Synod, and JRM is having a fugue.
No sign that Labour is going to try and hold this by-election off until May, as was suggested here yesterday?
Meanwhile some signs that the next government U-turn incoming will be on jury trials?
Do U-turns matter? I noticed Badenoch making a lot of them the other day but apart from wasting a bit of time I couldn't see the problem. Didn't they used to say 'run it up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes'?
I've done My Week: Donald Trump (again) for tomorrow. My first draft genuinely had a joke about Trump thinking there were penguins in Greenland but I took it out because it seemed too stupid.
The original animal called the penguin was the great auk, Pinguinus impennis, which was found in Greenland. However, we hunted them to extinction in the 19th century. When European explorers discovered flightless marine birds in the Southern Hemisphere, they called them penguins because they looked like the penguins of the North Atlantic, although they are not closely related. So, in a sense, there were penguins in Greenland.
But Trump and most of the White House staff are just ignorant.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
No sign that Labour is going to try and hold this by-election off until May, as was suggested here yesterday?
Meanwhile some signs that the next government U-turn incoming will be on jury trials?
Do U-turns matter? I noticed Badenoch making a lot of them the other day but apart from wasting a bit of time I couldn't see the problem. Didn't they used to say 'run it up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes'?
In the overall scheme of things I’d say no. They soon get forgotten.
However if there’s a regular pattern then that can give the impression of a govt not in control of its own agenda.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
That side of Spartan society produces “does not compute.”
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
The Labour NEC should not block Burnham if he wants to stand.
This looks weak and will only cause major infighting . And Labour need to hold that seat .
Also, I don't see as how he is any kind of threat.
Burnham was a decent MP, a good Mayor and would be an ok cabinet member perhaps. But PM? No way.
Yes, I think that I roughly agree with that. The Peter Principle applies.
I think Liz Truss is a clear example. She had he moments as a hyperactive Trade Secretary (I wanted a speech about pork bellies), though I think she was perhaps above her capability even at Cabinet level.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
I'm not at all certain of that.
I ment the performative vindictiveness in destroying careers. All publicly announced and gloated about.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
The next few years of Trump will follow this pattern until he eventually separates his target (the US) from all its friends.
Key Psychological Aspects of Abusers
Need for Control: The primary goal is maintaining power over the partner, often by controlling their daily activities, finances, and social interactions.
Manipulation Tactics: Abusers use gaslighting (making victims doubt their sanity), love-bombing (intense affection early on), and isolation from friends/family.
Normalization of Violence: Many abusers have histories of childhood trauma or abuse, leading them to normalize violent behavior and lack healthy conflict resolution skills.
Trauma Bonding: Abusers use a cycle of abuse and affection ("dosing") to create intense,, dependent emotional bonds that make it difficult for victims to leave.
Projection and Blame: Perpetrators often justify their actions by accusing victims of causing the abuse or belittling them.
You simply have to step back and ride the storm as best you can. Intervention will never yield results unless it is internal (US) intervention. When Zelenskyy said 'Don't try to change Trump' he has an insight that few others have.
Stepping back is wrong. We can't change Trump, but we should be stepping up, not back.
A passive response is self defeating, and the Greenland episode demonstrated a better alternative.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
That side of Spartan society produces “does not compute.”
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
He’d be happier as an Odinist.
Most Odinists would reject his bullshit - the modern ones regard the semi-demi-fascist types as scum who don't have a clue.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
I'm not at all certain of that.
I ment the performative vindictiveness in destroying careers. All publicly announced and gloated about.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
I'm not at all certain of that.
I ment the performative vindictiveness in destroying careers. All publicly announced and gloated about.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
Hence Christopher Hitchens making a mental note whenever he heard a politician or pastor denouncing sexual immorality.
Sooner or later, he’d be found down on his weary old knees, in some dismal hotel room or latrine, with an Apache transvestite prostitute.
I've done My Week: Donald Trump (again) for tomorrow. My first draft genuinely had a joke about Trump thinking there were penguins in Greenland but I took it out because it seemed too stupid.
My Twitter timeline this morning appears to be half pictures of Iranian casualties of the current protests. Dozens of them, mostly teenagers, killed by security forces.
F1: Williams missing the first test isn't ideal. And a bit surprising.
It’s said that their car failed the crash test, and they’re having to redesign the chassis.
That is about as fantastic as the time Philip V of Macedon was attempting a very cunning rapid sneak escalade of an enemy town. Only to discover his siege ladders weren't long enough for the walls.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who had not been paying attention, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
In the past he has said it in the US for a US audience with a US press corp.
This time he did it in Davos.
Much of our current predicament I think has been fueled by a press corp consistently sanewashing a guy who is mentally unstable
"Today the President made the following remarks"
No
Today the senile old man said the following insane things
Yes, that's always irritated me about reporting on Trump. At this juncture, though, it's become blatant journalistic malpractice.
The problem is that the basic claim, never mind the leaning tower of nonsense he builds on it, is entirely fictional.
It's actually about a move * to discourage use of Oasis flower foam, because it is petroleum based and leaves behind residue that that lasts centuries in the soil; in a churchyard that is held for 1000 years that is important. And there are alternatives available to Oasis. There's also a move to encourage use of local flowers, which I would expect to be supported by nationalists of the JRM ilk.
I think he is perhaps just reacting to twitter, and has a marketing need to fondle his outraged minority.
* For nerds, this is a nice illustration of how it works. A parish voted on a motion, which has gone up through the system and is now in General Synod, and JRM is having a fugue.
When he was an MP though Jacob as a Roman Catholic never voted on Church of England matters in Parliament
@patrickwintour For some reason the US tried to bury its national defence strategy published at 7pm in the US on Friday evening. It contains no mention of Taiwan three of Greenland and says it seeks respectful relations with China. Israel is described as a “model ally.” The priority, the document confirms, is homeland defence, burden sharing and preventing Chinese domination. The strategy is predictably dismissive of Europe saying US allies in NATO have been allowed to behave more like dependencies, than partners. It also suggests Europe shouldn’t aspire to be a global power- stating “we will be clear with our European allies that their efforts and resources are best focused on Europe.”
Three other passages on Europe are noteworthy.
1 “Moscow is in no position to make a bid for European hegemony. European NATO dwarfs Russian economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power. At the same time, although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and decreasing share of global economic power. It follows that, although we are and will remain engaged we must—and will—prioritise defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China. Fortunately our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia—it is not even close. Germany’s economy alone dwarfs that of Russia”. A table then shows non US NATO gdp is $26 trillion and Russia $2 trillion.
2 “Our NATO allies are strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense, with critical but more limited U.S. support. This includes taking the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense.”
3 “In Europe and other theaters, allies will take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them, with critical but more limited support from the United States. In all cases, we will be honest but clear about the urgent need for them to do their part and that it is in their own interests to do so without delay. We will incentivize and enable them to step up. This requires a change in tone and style from the past, but that is necessary not only for Americans but also for our allies and partners. For too long, allies and partners have been content to let us subsidize their defense. Our political establishment reaped the credit while regular Americans paid the bill. With President Trump, a new approach is in effect.”
No sign that Labour is going to try and hold this by-election off until May, as was suggested here yesterday?
Meanwhile some signs that the next government U-turn incoming will be on jury trials?
Do U-turns matter? I noticed Badenoch making a lot of them the other day but apart from wasting a bit of time I couldn't see the problem. Didn't they used to say 'run it up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes'?
They're certainly better than clinging to policy mistakes to the point where they do damage, or cause riots as did the poll tax, or huge demonstrations and millions of deaths like invading Iraq.
If the policy is something one opposes, like ID cards or scrapping juries, then the U-turn comes as welcome relief, but still leaves you wondering why government isn't able to reject flawed or unpopular ideas at birth.
If the policy is something one supports, like the changes suggested to welfare and the PIP process, then one despairs.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
I'm not at all certain of that.
I ment the performative vindictiveness in destroying careers. All publicly announced and gloated about.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
I'm not at all certain of that.
I ment the performative vindictiveness in destroying careers. All publicly announced and gloated about.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
Hence Christopher Hitchens making a mental note whenever he heard a politician or pastor denouncing sexual immorality.
Sooner or later, he’d be found down on his weary old knees, in some dismal hotel room or latrine, with an Apache transvestite prostitute.
Liberal Democrats have urged cancelling the King’s state visit to Trump’s USA: as head of our armed services Charles CANNOT be associated with such ignorant insults to British troops!
I am hoping Charles himself will see this - or that the younger generation will and will advise him accordingly. There is currently a small majority infavour of retaining teh Crown in Canada. But if the King is seen to be acting against Canada's interests by visiting Trump then I can see that changing rapidly. And if Canada leads the way I think Australia will rapidly follow.
If Starmer pushes the King to continue with his State visit to the US then he will be responsible for doing huge damage to the monarchy and to Britain.
I agree, but I fear Trump's retribution for a cancelled visit will be swift and hideous and the weakest link in Europe is Ukraine. He can punish Europe by punishing Ukraine.
Seriously, I'm not sure just how much leverage the US has on Ukraine at this point. It is less than it was, and Trump has TACOed multiple times over his attempts to be Putin's useful idiot.
In Europe we have undermined trump's influence in measure already, whilst also doing much less than would have been possible head Europe been rapidly on something closer to a war footing.
There are a couple of rumblings about more intelligence coming from non-US sources including French and Japanese, but that looked to me partially to be French posturing.
There is of course radicalisation by social media, but there’s also a warping of sensibility and self awareness. As an addiction to platform Y, Z or literally X increases, their ability to persuade withers away. There are a few examples around, Paul Mason is a prime case. He’s like an AI idea of what a Labour loyalist should be.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
That side of Spartan society produces “does not compute.”
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
He’d be happier as an Odinist.
Most Odinists would reject his bullshit - the modern ones regard the semi-demi-fascist types as scum who don't have a clue.
Wasn't Odin supposed to be the wisest of the gods ? Must be extremely disappointed with his followers over the years.
The desire to see Reform beaten requires the conservatives and Badenoch to rise, not least because there will always be a 40-50% vote on the right
Attacking Reform and Badenoch is counter productive not least because Badenoch is making progress and needs to
It is interesting that the conservatives and lib dems have worked together in the HOL over the under 16 phone ban but also on the cancelled locals
We are all impressed with Carney but as my eldest who lives in Vancouver said, he is popular because he followed a very unpopular Trudeau but he has also tacked to the right cutting taxes and supporting business, a lesson Reeves could learn
The Burnham circus arrives in Liverpool today with Rayner making a speech supporting him and by tonight we should know the outcome
I do not see a recovery in labours fortunes anytime soon
Trudeau was a bad joke, definitely not a leader for serious times.
Trudeau won three elections and took the Liberals from third to first in 2015.
The desire to see Reform beaten requires the conservatives and Badenoch to rise, not least because there will always be a 40-50% vote on the right
Attacking Reform and Badenoch is counter productive not least because Badenoch is making progress and needs to
It is interesting that the conservatives and lib dems have worked together in the HOL over the under 16 phone ban but also on the cancelled locals
We are all impressed with Carney but as my eldest who lives in Vancouver said, he is popular because he followed a very unpopular Trudeau but he has also tacked to the right cutting taxes and supporting business, a lesson Reeves could learn
The Burnham circus arrives in Liverpool today with Rayner making a speech supporting him and by tonight we should know the outcome
I do not see a recovery in labours fortunes anytime soon
Good. They've got three years. Best not to peak too early.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
That side of Spartan society produces “does not compute.”
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
He’d be happier as an Odinist.
Most Odinists would reject his bullshit - the modern ones regard the semi-demi-fascist types as scum who don't have a clue.
Wasn't Odin supposed to be the wisest of the gods ? Must be extremely disappointed with his followers over the years.
Onanist is a better description.
Yup - and that's at the root of why mainstream Odinists reject the fascist types.
There is of course radicalisation by social media, but there’s also a warping of sensibility and self awareness. As an addiction to platform Y, Z or literally X increases, their ability to persuade withers away. There are a few examples around, Paul Mason is a prime case. He’s like an AI idea of what a Labour loyalist should be.
Part of the self-radicalisation spiral is stopping listening to anything outside a smaller and smaller group. So you need up just restating the only opinions you hear.
It's quite seductive to certain personality type - no conflict, just affirmation that you are on The Right Side. A warm comforting blanket in a harsh world.
F1: Williams missing the first test isn't ideal. And a bit surprising.
It’s said that their car failed the crash test, and they’re having to redesign the chassis.
That’s suboptimal to say the least.
Somewhat. It’ll cost them three days of testing, of nine in total, and probably add weight to the car which will be there all season. Not to mention the cost of having to build a new chassis, and that they probably won’t have a spare available for the first couple of races if one were to be damaged.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
But absolutely No Gay. Which would have puzzled the Spartans mightly.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
That side of Spartan society produces “does not compute.”
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure.
Trump's comments on NATO troops are nothing new. In my reading it's a point he has been making for a couple of years; I think the first place I noted it was on threads at UK Defence Journal, where the more usual pro-USA tone entirely flipped.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
Over taken by the timer.
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Hegseth is a believer in The Spartan Way. War is all hard stares, and harder words; flexing muscles, and hairy-chested manliness; a real man is tougher than a grizzly bear; he shoots anyone who so much looks askance at him, and asks questions afterwards. Using your brain is a form of mutiny.
It would be so much easier if he was Iron John; then he'd be out in the woods howling at his little nut-tree. We did all this in the period ~1985 to ~1995.
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
He’d be happier as an Odinist.
Most Odinists would reject his bullshit - the modern ones regard the semi-demi-fascist types as scum who don't have a clue.
Wasn't Odin supposed to be the wisest of the gods ? Must be extremely disappointed with his followers over the years.
There is of course radicalisation by social media, but there’s also a warping of sensibility and self awareness. As an addiction to platform Y, Z or literally X increases, their ability to persuade withers away. There are a few examples around, Paul Mason is a prime case. He’s like an AI idea of what a Labour loyalist should be.
The problem is that the basic claim, never mind the leaning tower of nonsense he builds on it, is entirely fictional.
It's actually about a move * to discourage use of Oasis flower foam, because it is petroleum based and leaves behind residue that that lasts centuries in the soil; in a churchyard that is held for 1000 years that is important. And there are alternatives available to Oasis. There's also a move to encourage use of local flowers, which I would expect to be supported by nationalists of the JRM ilk.
I think he is perhaps just reacting to twitter, and has a marketing need to fondle his outraged minority.
* For nerds, this is a nice illustration of how it works. A parish voted on a motion, which has gone up through the system and is now in General Synod, and JRM is having a fugue.
When he was an MP though Jacob as a Roman Catholic never voted on Church of England matters in Parliament
He said: “Anxiety is normal. Depression is normal. I got asked a brilliant question the other day … which was what proportion of the adult population at any one time could be classified as having a mental health condition?
“I got the answer completely wrong. Because it’s 83 per cent. There’s a difference between a diagnosis and a disorder. And OK, so people might have anxiety or depression, but it doesn’t mean that therefore you should be written off for not being able to work.”
A generation of young people was being put on a “downward escalator”, he said. “It starts in schools. One in five pupils are now getting a Send [special educational needs] diagnosis. The vast majority of those then trip into the benefits system because they get child disability allowance.
“The vast majority of people on child disability allowance qualify for adult Pip [a disability benefit]. And then you’re into a world of benefits. Honestly, is that the aspiration we should have as a society, for a whole generation of young people? A life on benefits? An older engineer mentoring an apprentice with worm gears in an engineering factory.
Milburn suggested the government should simplify the paths young people can take after university
“And if you’re on benefits and not in work in your twenties you’re probably not going to be in work in your thirties.”
The world of work is and will be rapidly changing due to AI, if you drop out of workforce now for a few years, its going to be harder than ever to get back in. Its a bit like dropping out of the workforce when the computers / computer controlled machinery became a mainstay of work.
@patrickwintour For some reason the US tried to bury its national defence strategy published at 7pm in the US on Friday evening. It contains no mention of Taiwan three of Greenland and says it seeks respectful relations with China. Israel is described as a “model ally.” The priority, the document confirms, is homeland defence, burden sharing and preventing Chinese domination. The strategy is predictably dismissive of Europe saying US allies in NATO have been allowed to behave more like dependencies, than partners. It also suggests Europe shouldn’t aspire to be a global power- stating “we will be clear with our European allies that their efforts and resources are best focused on Europe.”
Three other passages on Europe are noteworthy.
1 “Moscow is in no position to make a bid for European hegemony. European NATO dwarfs Russian economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power. At the same time, although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and decreasing share of global economic power. It follows that, although we are and will remain engaged we must—and will—prioritise defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China. Fortunately our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia—it is not even close. Germany’s economy alone dwarfs that of Russia”. A table then shows non US NATO gdp is $26 trillion and Russia $2 trillion.
2 “Our NATO allies are strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense, with critical but more limited U.S. support. This includes taking the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense.”
3 “In Europe and other theaters, allies will take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them, with critical but more limited support from the United States. In all cases, we will be honest but clear about the urgent need for them to do their part and that it is in their own interests to do so without delay. We will incentivize and enable them to step up. This requires a change in tone and style from the past, but that is necessary not only for Americans but also for our allies and partners. For too long, allies and partners have been content to let us subsidize their defense. Our political establishment reaped the credit while regular Americans paid the bill. With President Trump, a new approach is in effect.”
Can’t disagree with points 1, 2 and 3 at all. If the EU can work closer with non EU NATO without making silly demands then there is no reason why Europe can’t properly benefit from an Anglo-French nuclear unmbrella and properly divvy up resources and areas of responsibility in order to make any Russian attempts on Europe suicidal.
Even though Russia probably gets more bang for its buck thus reducing the massive GDP differential Europe as a whole needs to stop the crazy chauvinism and protectionism on defence procurement and ensure huge benefits of scale such as the US can achieve.
@patrickwintour For some reason the US tried to bury its national defence strategy published at 7pm in the US on Friday evening. It contains no mention of Taiwan three of Greenland and says it seeks respectful relations with China. Israel is described as a “model ally.” The priority, the document confirms, is homeland defence, burden sharing and preventing Chinese domination. The strategy is predictably dismissive of Europe saying US allies in NATO have been allowed to behave more like dependencies, than partners. It also suggests Europe shouldn’t aspire to be a global power- stating “we will be clear with our European allies that their efforts and resources are best focused on Europe.”
Three other passages on Europe are noteworthy.
1 “Moscow is in no position to make a bid for European hegemony. European NATO dwarfs Russian economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power. At the same time, although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and decreasing share of global economic power. It follows that, although we are and will remain engaged we must—and will—prioritise defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China. Fortunately our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia—it is not even close. Germany’s economy alone dwarfs that of Russia”. A table then shows non US NATO gdp is $26 trillion and Russia $2 trillion.
2 “Our NATO allies are strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense, with critical but more limited U.S. support. This includes taking the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense.”
3 “In Europe and other theaters, allies will take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them, with critical but more limited support from the United States. In all cases, we will be honest but clear about the urgent need for them to do their part and that it is in their own interests to do so without delay. We will incentivize and enable them to step up. This requires a change in tone and style from the past, but that is necessary not only for Americans but also for our allies and partners. For too long, allies and partners have been content to let us subsidize their defense. Our political establishment reaped the credit while regular Americans paid the bill. With President Trump, a new approach is in effect.”
Most of that, coming from a sane USA administration and accompanied by top level agreement within NATO countries and a realistic timetable would seem a reasonable set of targets WRT to European aspect of defence.
Ukraine is an interesting example. Not a NATO member. There is no reason in principle why this is not a European matter. The failure of course is that it was assumed for years that Russia had no imperial ambitions post cold war.
The next few years of Trump will follow this pattern until he eventually separates his target (the US) from all its friends.
Key Psychological Aspects of Abusers
Need for Control: The primary goal is maintaining power over the partner, often by controlling their daily activities, finances, and social interactions.
Manipulation Tactics: Abusers use gaslighting (making victims doubt their sanity), love-bombing (intense affection early on), and isolation from friends/family.
Normalization of Violence: Many abusers have histories of childhood trauma or abuse, leading them to normalize violent behavior and lack healthy conflict resolution skills.
Trauma Bonding: Abusers use a cycle of abuse and affection ("dosing") to create intense,, dependent emotional bonds that make it difficult for victims to leave.
Projection and Blame: Perpetrators often justify their actions by accusing victims of causing the abuse or belittling them.
You simply have to step back and ride the storm as best you can. Intervention will never yield results unless it is internal (US) intervention. When Zelenskyy said 'Don't try to change Trump' he has an insight that few others have.
That was how I was understanding all the anti-Tourism things he has done (requiring social media history for a ESTA, the $100 surcharge at national parks). Aiming to cut off Americans from contact with foreigners.
Comments
Best hope of that is to knock SNP down to somewhere near Ecks 2007 total of 47 seats, where Green votes added wouldn't take the SNP above a 65 majority.
I think the unionist vote is split too many ways for that to happen this time. There are a handful of seats i think Labour will challenge in, more affluent suburbs where Reform are weak, but that apart they will struggle.
I think the Tories *may* hold on in Aberdeenshire and South of Scotland/Borders, but that will depend on keeping Reform at bay. Reform are shooting themselves in the foot for being a Farage one man band who haven't declared any MSP candidates yet, but far be it for me to criticise them. Ground game and candidate choice have been crucial in some of the Scottish by elections recently
The race for the keys to Bute House will start getting more entertaining as we near Easter. Wales looks a lot more competitive this time
Does anyone get upset when you fly your blue flag? Go ahead, fill your boots.
I would have thought after Trump's disingenuous lies regarding British service personnel in Afghanistan you would have kept a low profile until Trump stfu and the coast was clear
I'll carry on watching reality and you can keep being educated by Jesse Watters and Maria Bartiromo.
Maybe he's right. Though I would think on balance it was all Art of the Deal crap, odious though that is.
Yet, by 1936 in Germany, they’d witnessed the Night of the Long Knives, the suppression of non-Nazi parties, sports clubs, and trade unions, and the extinction of democracy.
Starmer doesn't.
The FBI agent who sought to investigate the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, according to two people familiar with the matter, after leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into the officer.
https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/2014839329009631452
Civil rights legislation is the means by which federal murder charges can be brought in this case - and the FBI have denied state police access to evidence in an attempt to prevent them bringing charges in connection with the homicude.
But, instead of taking Yvette Cooper, he should take Mark Carney and Anita Arnand as his advisers.
And let them do the talking…
A German soccer federation executive committee member says it's time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Need for Control: The primary goal is maintaining power over the partner, often by controlling their daily activities, finances, and social interactions.
Manipulation Tactics: Abusers use gaslighting (making victims doubt their sanity), love-bombing (intense affection early on), and isolation from friends/family.
Normalization of Violence: Many abusers have histories of childhood trauma or abuse, leading them to normalize violent behavior and lack healthy conflict resolution skills.
Trauma Bonding: Abusers use a cycle of abuse and affection ("dosing") to create intense,, dependent emotional bonds that make it difficult for victims to leave.
Projection and Blame: Perpetrators often justify their actions by accusing victims of causing the abuse or belittling them.
You simply have to step back and ride the storm as best you can. Intervention will never yield results unless it is internal (US) intervention. When Zelenskyy said 'Don't try to change Trump' he has an insight that few others have.
Sue the individuls - and ICE - for billions.
Nice idea. It won't happen. Tribal love of sport will see to that.
With Farage's major political achievement- Brexit- now seen by a large majority as a mistake, and the hostility of Trump demonstrating why the EU is a critical part of our own defence network, the core selling point of "Reforn" is destroyed.
So all Jenrick has done is confirm his own tin ear for politics and ended up joining the political Adams family of kooks and spooks in the far right Farage fun house.
As for Nigel- the fat lady is clearing her throat.
All that is true but they still lead the opinion polls
Hopefully that will change but when, that is the question ?
I still favour it.
Won’t happen, of course, more people care about soccer than what’s going on with Trump.
More people are interested in Brooklyn Beckhams spat with his parents.
And Rachel Reeves looks nothing like Mark Carney!
That implies the Republicans might be back in 20-30 years.
90 seconds and you're up to date on Heart might be a poor show, but that's better than a Facebook feed with a load of trollbots pretending to deliver news.
I think what is happening now is a continued process of gradual dawning for people and groups who did not have it on their radar and made benign assumptions, has has happened with other aspects of Trump.
This time he did it in Davos.
Much of our current predicament I think has been fueled by a press corp consistently sanewashing a guy who is mentally unstable
"Today the President made the following remarks"
No
Today the senile old man said the following insane things
Quite frankly we don’t know how effective or otherwise Jenrick will be as shadow chancellor. We will have to see.
It’s good to see Reform putting some names in place as shadows of offices. If they want to be seen as a govt in waiting they need to put a team in place who can have a portfolio and then they can be held to scrutiny.
Given Tim Montgomerie has well chronicled health issues including being born premature perhaps you can blame that for his views of Mr Jenrick ?
I think interesting aspects are the attitude of the US military community to Trump, and to Pete Hegseth.
There's any amount of Trumpist posturing from military adjacent, and especially America First military adjacent, communities - along the lines of "so watcha gonna do ?" when the US Imperial Forces * turn up? And with an enthusiasm for Pete Hegseth's prancing up and down yelling "Ug !!".
Serving forces, or those with a smidgeon of international exposure, seem far more self-aware that Trump has shot the USA in the head. I'd love to know a bit more about their views on colleagues who can be called "trans" because of a database tick-box and a blind assumption being cashiered without pension rights being preserved.
The real divide imo with former allies is that Hegseth has tried to remove the moral component from his armed forces.
* I do like a common analogy to the Star Wars Imperials.
Senility mostly reveals, rather than changes, personality. A fundamentally benign old man whose mind was slowing down, an elderly monk say, wouldn't be so much of a problem.
Having said that, DJT was obviously not fundamentally benign even before age caught up with him.
Meanwhile some signs that the next government U-turn incoming will be on jury trials?
I've done My Week: Donald Trump (again) for tomorrow. My first draft genuinely had a joke about Trump thinking there were penguins in Greenland but I took it out because it seemed too stupid.
https://bsky.app/profile/hugorifkind.bsky.social/post/3md4tho3ops24
It’s happening..
https://x.com/alexandruc4/status/2014641690972242419?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
Yesterday was a very good day for the centre left though not everyone can see it yet. Charlie wont go visiting and if Starmer gets good advice he'll welcome Burnham with open arms and a new confident Starmer government will emerge.
Shocking news. I didn't realise the USA still had allies.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9r8ezym3ro
This looks weak and will only cause major infighting . And Labour need to hold that seat .
Attacking Reform and Badenoch is counter productive not least because Badenoch is making progress and needs to
It is interesting that the conservatives and lib dems have worked together in the HOL over the under 16 phone ban but also on the cancelled locals
We are all impressed with Carney but as my eldest who lives in Vancouver said, he is popular because he followed a very unpopular Trudeau but he has also tacked to the right cutting taxes and supporting business, a lesson Reeves could learn
The Burnham circus arrives in Liverpool today with Rayner making a speech supporting him and by tonight we should know the outcome
I do not see a recovery in labours fortunes anytime soon
Burnham was a decent MP, a good Mayor and would be an ok cabinet member perhaps. But PM? No way.
On his vodcast yesterday he has a go at the Church of England for "banning certain flowers" because they are not sufficiently green", and then conjures up a vision of enforcement officers wandering around graveyards telling off mourners.
The problem is that the basic claim, never mind the leaning tower of nonsense he builds on it, is entirely fictional.
It's actually about a move * to discourage use of Oasis flower foam, because it is petroleum based and leaves behind residue that that lasts centuries in the soil; in a churchyard that is held for 1000 years that is important. And there are alternatives available to Oasis. There's also a move to encourage use of local flowers, which I would expect to be supported by nationalists of the JRM ilk.
I think he is perhaps just reacting to twitter, and has a marketing need to fondle his outraged minority.
* For nerds, this is a nice illustration of how it works. A parish voted on a motion, which has gone up through the system and is now in General Synod, and JRM is having a fugue.
But Trump and most of the White House staff are just ignorant.
Plus the Spartan Way was a total failure
It's strange that as an ardent claimed Christian, his Christianity has not noticeably informed his masculinity.
However if there’s a regular pattern then that can give the impression of a govt not in control of its own agenda.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp372wz0z2zo
Their military record was only slightly above average. Their social system guaranteed failure. He’d be happier as an Odinist.
I think Liz Truss is a clear example. She had he moments as a hyperactive Trade Secretary (I wanted a speech about pork bellies), though I think she was perhaps above her capability even at Cabinet level.
I agree that, as always, the hyper-anti-gay types will have lots of gay people among their ranks.
Just like the anti-abortion nuts getting abortions for the housemaid, the anti-immigrant types employing the maid (then boffing her), the anti-gun types with an arsenal that Burt Gummer would have said was a tad excessive….
We can't change Trump, but we should be stepping up, not back.
A passive response is self defeating, and the Greenland episode demonstrated a better alternative.
Sooner or later, he’d be found down on his weary old knees, in some dismal hotel room or latrine, with an Apache transvestite prostitute.
Very sad to see.
At this juncture, though, it's become blatant journalistic malpractice.
For some reason the US tried to bury its national defence strategy published at 7pm in the US on Friday evening.
It contains no mention of Taiwan three of Greenland and says it seeks respectful relations with China. Israel is described as a “model ally.”
The priority, the document confirms, is homeland defence, burden sharing and preventing Chinese domination.
The strategy is predictably dismissive of Europe saying US allies in NATO have been allowed to behave more like dependencies, than partners. It also suggests Europe shouldn’t aspire to be a global power- stating “we will be clear with our European allies that their efforts and resources are best focused on Europe.”
Three other passages on Europe are noteworthy.
1 “Moscow is in no position to make a bid for European hegemony. European NATO dwarfs Russian economic scale, population, and, thus, latent military power. At the same time, although
Europe remains important, it has a smaller and decreasing share of global economic power. It follows that, although we are and will remain engaged
we must—and will—prioritise defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China.
Fortunately our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia—it is not even close.
Germany’s economy alone dwarfs that of Russia”. A table then shows non US NATO gdp is $26 trillion and Russia $2 trillion.
2 “Our NATO allies are strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense, with critical but more limited U.S. support. This includes taking the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense.”
3 “In Europe and other theaters, allies will take the lead against threats that are less severe for us but more so for them, with critical but more limited support from the United States.
In all cases, we will be honest but clear about the urgent need for them to do their part and that it is in their own interests to do so without delay. We will incentivize and enable them to step up. This requires a change in tone and style from the past, but that is necessary not only for Americans but also for our allies and partners. For too long, allies and partners have been content to let us subsidize their defense. Our political establishment reaped the credit while regular Americans paid the bill. With President Trump, a new approach is in effect.”
If the policy is something one opposes, like ID cards or scrapping juries, then the U-turn comes as welcome relief, but still leaves you wondering why government isn't able to reject flawed or unpopular ideas at birth.
If the policy is something one supports, like the changes suggested to welfare and the PIP process, then one despairs.
An excellent series on what the Spartans were really like, by the way - https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-part-i-spartan-school/
In Europe we have undermined trump's influence in measure already, whilst also doing much less than would have been possible head Europe been rapidly on something closer to a war footing.
There are a couple of rumblings about more intelligence coming from non-US sources including French and Japanese, but that looked to me partially to be French posturing.
I have not seen anything authoritative.
https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2014822552409964907?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
Must be extremely disappointed with his followers over the years.
Onanist is a better description.
The only sticking point appears to be how much territory Russia gained after 5 years of pointless war
So maybe Trump's leverage disappears completely
BBC should end Traitors because of the effect on losers' mental health.
It's cruel apparently.
Unfortunately the screenshot proves her point...
It's quite seductive to certain personality type - no conflict, just affirmation that you are on The Right Side. A warm comforting blanket in a harsh world.
“We want our allies to do more. We have been carrying them”:
Ok. Fine. You have a point.
“But we want to tell them exactly what to do, even as we withdraw”.
Errrm.
“And those other western democracies better stop going on about things like self determination, freedom of choice, and other liberal values”.
Riiiighhhht. Piss off.
Also, are you really, really sure of your global reach without allies…?
https://jacobin.com/2024/05/paul-mason-corbyn-starmer-labour
To the CoE?
“I got the answer completely wrong. Because it’s 83 per cent. There’s a difference between a diagnosis and a disorder. And OK, so people might have anxiety or depression, but it doesn’t mean that therefore you should be written off for not being able to work.”
A generation of young people was being put on a “downward escalator”, he said. “It starts in schools. One in five pupils are now getting a Send [special educational needs] diagnosis. The vast majority of those then trip into the benefits system because they get child disability allowance.
“The vast majority of people on child disability allowance qualify for adult Pip [a disability benefit]. And then you’re into a world of benefits. Honestly, is that the aspiration we should have as a society, for a whole generation of young people? A life on benefits?
An older engineer mentoring an apprentice with worm gears in an engineering factory.
Milburn suggested the government should simplify the paths young people can take after university
“And if you’re on benefits and not in work in your twenties you’re probably not going to be in work in your thirties.”
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/anxious-young-britons-risk-becoming-lost-generation-on-benefits-0870rsmh2
The world of work is and will be rapidly changing due to AI, if you drop out of workforce now for a few years, its going to be harder than ever to get back in. Its a bit like dropping out of the workforce when the computers / computer controlled machinery became a mainstay of work.
Even though Russia probably gets more bang for its buck thus reducing the massive GDP differential Europe as a whole needs to stop the crazy chauvinism and protectionism on defence procurement and ensure huge benefits of scale such as the US can achieve.
Ukraine is an interesting example. Not a NATO member. There is no reason in principle why this is not a European matter. The failure of course is that it was assumed for years that Russia had no imperial ambitions post cold war.