Let’s party like it’s 1910 – politicalbetting.com
Let’s party like it’s 1910 – politicalbetting.com
The 1910 general election was the last time the Liberals won more the seats than the Conservatives, if the current polls are accurate and Reform are about to give the Conservative party the greatest electoral wedgie in their history then backing the Lib Dems in this Ladbrokes market feels like value.
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/bills/news/we-know-the-cost-of-war-in-iran/
Basically we are f***ed and heading into a recession
Actually really quiet on the local front, the enemy does appear to be unable to launch stuff in anything like previous quantities. Well done to all involved in neutralising the threat, and to Ukraine for discussing technology transfers in exchange for some of the modern long-range weapons!
Still not sure what Starmer’s up to, it appears that our own warships are the only boats HMG can prevent from crossing the Channel.
Oh, and that new $599 MacBook Neo is about to kill Microsoft and the cheap Windows laptop market. I might buy one for my parents, would drop the tech support calls by 90% overnight!
Keir can differentiate himself from "Trump's Yes Woman" and Kemi can differentiate herself from "Up Trump's Anus Nigel" further to her right.
But neither will be quite so unobfuscated !
That has been the nvidia playbook for a while.
People are also learning most recruitment agencies employees are just scum and how poorly treated candidates are which I experienced regularly while contracting
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/lawsuit-google-gemini-sent-man-on-violent-missions-set-suicide-countdown/
Essentially, an LLM turned an unstable individual into a terrorist, complete with inventing cause for him.
Obvious Person of Interest reference - Samaritan
I am triggered by that image.
Second funniest story of yesterday. Marketing managers, always monitor your campaigns, especially when major geopolitical events occur. https://x.com/bmay/status/2029096309693517986
Still who doesn't need a laptop with 128 GB unified memory?
(Spoiler: I am sticking with my MacBook Air.)
Turned out that it’s a brilliant strategy - if the curve of yields at various capabilities is compatible with the market.
Turned out that it’s a brilliant strategy - if the curve of yields at various capabilities is compatible with the market.
But yep attached to Ai, massively increased gas and oil prices are not good news for anyone or the economy
The point is that tech bros are not the target market, their teenage kids and their parents are the target market. It’s not a dev machine and not for running AI engines locally, it’s for documents and web browsing, which is what most teenagers and retireds do with a computer.
Yes there’s still a $5,000 MBP available if that’s your requirement.
By gutting their commitment to law and treaties, and domestic law, Trump's regime have done an act comparable to changing the rules from "WW2 Western Front" to "WW2 Eastern Front" (to use a WW2 analogy).
I have no idea what remaining capabilities Iran has, or what sleepers they have in place in the USA. What would the impact be if they did a "Baltic Exchange" or a "Manchester" or even a "Oklahoma City" bomb (that was about 2-3 tons of fertiliser iirc) to Trump Tower or Downtown Detroit? Or did a dirty bomb?
Why would they not, if they can?
Listening to Trumpist commentary, lack of self-awareness seems a major theme. The unquestioned assumptions about World Bestriding USA are still there, and it is not 1950 any more. Plus the US is now a riskier place to hold investments.
Cuba is next. There is also - as noted by someone above - chatter about fomenting a civil war in Iran, in addition to "boots on the ground". Is Trumo stupid enough to try the latter - if he is his bootlickers will just read his words back to him.
Plus imo Europe will push back more. We still believe in the concept of a rules based system put in place by Churchill and the US President.
I don't change my MacBooks when a new one comes out, unlike the iPhone, I usually go for an upgrade when there's something major like the M chips or a bigger screen
One design choice that is good, no bloody notch. I love my macbook air, but the f##king notch.
He’s very against the Iran war but very pro increasing defence spending.
So I think if Sir Keir were to increase defence spending, he’s onto a winner politically.
I would cheer regime change, but it has to come from within.
On Monday morning, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard flew two Soviet-era Su-24 tactical bombers toward to al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts 10,000 US military personnel.
The Iranian bombers came within “two minutes” of striking their targets, which also included a natural gas processing facility, one official told CNN.
A Qatari F-15 fighter jet engaged the Iranian bombers in “aerial combat” before downing them, a second source said.
Politico reported that US Central Command had asked to send military intelligence officers to its base in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran until at least June.
But officials have said the operation could extend for even longer after that, with military officers likely to be asked to stay in place until September.
However for now the Tories and Labour lead the LDs and in more polls than not the Greens even if Reform are ahead overall, plus there will be tactical votes against Farage's party. In January and December 1910 of course the Conservatives won more votes than the Liberals even if the Liberals won 2 and 1 more seats respectively and there were hung parliaments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1910_United_Kingdom_general_election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1910_United_Kingdom_general_election
Good morning, everyone.
EXC: Inside Morgan McSweeney's cosy leaving drinks last night
— Acc to multiple witnesses Keir Starmer, in a speech to room full of Labour right types, said that McSweeney is not only one of the best political strategists in the country, "but in the entire world"
— In gushing speech PM also said McSweeney had "plan, strategy and foresight" to change Labour
Now there’s nuanced discussions to be had about actual spending levels, it should for example be very easy to buy technology from Ukraine rather than spending billions into the MIC on some next-gen fighter boondoggle, but the capability needs to rise substantially.
It’s a national embarrassment that there was seemingly no defensive capability at Akrotiri, and it’s going to take a week or more to get a single ship there. The Americans are already laughing at the Europeans, with very good reason.
(But how do you know I meant Farage? Nigel Evans has been out and about a bit too, going a bit bombastic.
https://x.com/nigelmp/ )
In short the Americans and Israelis have the lost the Iranian people, the indiscriminate bombing and sheer nastiness of the targeting shows this isn't about nukes.
They never thought they'd cheer the fact that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is alive, somebody needs to explain how somebody who is nearly 70, been out of power for years, has nothing to do with the nuclear plans now was targeted?
It has damaged the dissident movement, it has allowed the Mullahs to say the dissidents are the Zionist's useful idiots.
Firm but fair. That’s the right pitch, centrist but radical.
Labour really need to take this positioning and run with it.
Better camera and battery for starters.
Of far more interest than wars in the Middle East, a story featuriung Sex and Russell Grant to ponder over your cornflakes:
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surreys-new-mega-councils-bigger-33528230
Trump is a very useful idiot for a lot of people
I think LDs will have a good May elections in England (though the headlines will be about Reform and Green gains, and Lab/Con meltdown), and are digging in on our current seats.
The question is: Can the Tories hold more than 72 seats, and if so which ones?
I think it very possible that the Tories are the 3rd, 4th, or even 5th in number of seats in the next Parliament.
I think Charlie Mullins went back into running a plumbing company.
There are also arguments on how the money should be spent. For me, our number one strategic liability is our dependency on the US. I regard that as a much more serious problem than any potential conventional risk from Russia which is staggering ever closer to absolute exhaustion and even collapse in their war with Ukraine. We need equipment that is not dependent on US updates, that we can increase the supply of without dealing with the ravings of the US President, that we can re-arm from our own resources or at least from reliable friends.
Russia, and indeed China, are much more of a risk for non conventional warfare. So we need to invest more in cyber defence. We need to develop ways to protect our energy and internet cabling, especially undersea. We need to find cost effective ways of taking out drones and protecting key sites like Downing Street and nuclear power stations. We need to improve the resilience of our energy supplies.
The temptation to spend money on more toys such as tanks and armoured vehicles will be great. It is the sort of thing politicians can sit in and look the part. But there is so much else that is a priority. Freeing ourselves from the grip of our former friends is top of the list.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/02/27/starmer-will-be-sent-packing-by-a-white-house-arrogance/?recomm_id=17ea1f36-817b-4e95-b10d-b905cb9b2e12
They may feel very different if they were in Iran and watching indiscriminate bombing
What we have here is Trump Derangement Syndrome on an absolutely epic scale and, because Israel is involved, that being supercharged on steroids.
No wonder our allies in the Middle East and the med are disappointed with us.
Building ships, and planes takes time and we should buy off the shelf as far as possible. We should also consider whether a few highest spec weapons are needed or larger numbers of lower spec. We only need to be better than our most likely adversaries not out tech the Americans and Chinese.
As I suspect it doesn’t match what our current defense contractors want and are capable of building
The economic decisions started losing them the farmers, the tariffs are buggering the public, the health premium increases of 20% to 200% will lose the lower middle, the racially profiled abductions to concentration camps will lose them the non-whites, and so they need to steal the mid-term election or they know they are done.
* Don't tell him but apparently American involvement is primarily to prepare for Jesus's second coming.
On some current polling, yes, the LDs will have more seats than the Conservatives. It's strange, when everyone talked about political realignment in the Alliance days, it was all about replacing Labour and challenging the Conservatives who seemed a permanent fixed party of power.
Two generations ago and re-alignment might mean the Conservatives finish up like the Liberal Democrats, a minor party operating from small regional areas of strength surrounded by vast areas of weakness. The LDs are used to being such a party, however, the Conservatives are not.
What would the Conservative "niche" were they to find themselves the fourth or even fifth party in the next Commons?
The problem the Conservatives have now is the one the LDs and their predecessor parties have always had - their fate is not wholly in their hands. For the Conservatives, how Reform and Labour will be faring will determine their prospects of both holding what they have and regaining what they've lost.
It's one of the oldest tricks in the book.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-iran-war-middle-east-europe-eu-support-military-bases-rift/
But it's also hard not to recall how Bush utterly squandered the broad support for the Iraq invasion by leaving chaos in its wake. That was immensely costly both for the region, and for the west, irrespective of the argument that Iraq is better off today.
And from what I can see, this war has even less planning for its aftermath than did the Iraq adventure.
https://x.com/zelenskyyua/status/2029470937695781108
We received signals from partners in the Middle East. There have been strikes by Iranian “shaheds” on civilians in those countries. They are seeking our expertise. We are open. If their representatives come, we will provide the expertise. Especially since there is also a request from Europeans and from the United States. Requests have come to us to share our experience with partners in the Middle East.
Regarding weapons: we ourselves are at war. And I said, completely frankly, that we have a shortage of what they have. They have missiles for the Patriots, but hundreds or thousands of “shaheds” cannot be intercepted with Patriot missiles – it is too costly. Nothing is too much for the people, of course, but they simply do not have that many missiles. That is why they need interceptor drones, which we have. Meanwhile, we have a shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. So, when it comes to technology or weapons exchange, I believe our country will be open to it.
This seems to be the logic of the current special military operation !
These people didn’t magically appear after the war started.
I am against this war entirely because it is not clear whatsoever what the end goal is.
Normally the best thing to do is have the attack dog outside the cabinet / shadow cabinet, then the leadership can say well that's not our policy position if they have gone two footed too early and it boomerangs into their face.
Which shows the trouble with AI. It combines random information out of context leading to hallucinations. It is great at first drafts in seconds rather than hours or days but you need enough domain knowledge to check it before it wipes out your reputation or even your company.
(h/t Betfair forum).
'And I've spoken to Iranians in exile (not just "heritage" friends, who happen to share my exact political opinions) who say the precise opposite and cheer regime change.'
The only reason the Europeans aren’t laughing at the Americans is because of the horror they have inflicted. This is an unnecessary war. Trump was bumped into it by the Israelis. Akrotiri wouldn’t be under threat if it wasn’t for the US and Israel’s actions, and the previous defence threat we were facing was defending a NATO ally from a US invasion in Greenland! Trump, Hegseth and RFK jr are bigger national embarrassments.
I suspect the likes of ahmedinajad were targeted simply for revenge and because they can and won’t be held to account.
War crimes aren’t committed by the people who control the ICJ only by African warlords and east Europeans
Yond Vance has a hamster-cheeked and hungry look; He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous
Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK Dr Kyriacos Kouros told BBC Newsnight Cypriots were "disappointed" about the standard of information sharing with residents after RAF Akrotiri was hit overnight on Sunday and further drones were intercepted.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e55y0pzgwo
Turkey yesterday, Azerbaijan today. Iran going full Millwall....no one likes us, we don't care....
https://x.com/campbellclaret/status/2029325419120394505
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c62gg44d53xt
Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan, says government
published at 08:57
08:57
Breaking
Two civilians have been injured by an Iranian drone attack in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan foreign ministry says.
"One drone struck the terminal building of the airport in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, while another drone fell near a school building in the village of Shakarabad," the ministry says.
The drone attack damaged an airport building and injured two civilians.
The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan has now been summoned, says the ministry, where "a strong protest will be conveyed to the Iranian side, and a corresponding note of protest will be presented".
Have they attacked Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmensistan yet?