OT. Interesting piece of polling on 'Today' which will appear in the Observer tomorrow. Only 6% are where Kemi is ie go in all guns blazing with the Americans
That is not her position
She supports action when and if our military come under attack from Iranian missiles
Indeed Lammy arrived on the same page yesterday
Yesterday US B1s landed in UK, and are authorised by Starmer to use our air bases in their war v Iran
Rachel Sylvester said simply that only 6% were where Kemi is whereas despite the UK press SKS following a rules based order is pretty well where the country is. Voters see broad brush strokes. Incidentally that wasn't Lammy's position. It was the Daily Mail misleading. They asked him what the British should do if attacked. Which shouldn't have given rise to their headline
David Lammy was interviewed across the media and your attempt to dismiss the story as misleading is simply you being misleading
Identical positions? Kemi is NOT coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung-Ho? 🥹
Little Miss Angry today -
“Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers and plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on, even though our allies had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally. “Even now, he is sitting on the fence, still deciding what our role is going to be in this war. We are in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not. It's time to act.”
The Sunday Newspapers need a poll “do you agree with Big G, Kemi is not coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung Ho?”
Kemi hitting a nerve and is serious about protecting our military who are in direct line of fire
She is right to say that the RAF will attack Iranian missile launch sites if they are a threat to our planes
Seems Lammy agrees as well
Poll the public on my second sentence and see the response
Striking a nerve. That’s exactly my point.
Why Little Miss Angry should be more careful here, her SCATHING ATTACKS on Labour are coming across as scathing attacks on the UK military, whilst they are in the field.
I respectfully disagree, not least because labour have been woeful and deserve criticism
The Navy ship deployment to Cyprus is simply a farce of unimaginable stupidity with the work force under union orders only to work 9 - 5, 5 days a week !!!!!!!!!!!!
Starmer bans US use of British bases following pressure from Miliband and then someone leaks this from the NSC, and within 48 hours Starmer changes his mind allowing B1s to land and take off on mission to Iran from RAF Fairford and B52s from Diego Garcia
Lammy then comes on the media in broadcast interviews and agrees with Kemi that the UK can attack Iran if our military are threatened
And you want the government to have a free pass !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Picking up the parking fine conversation I missed from earlier, afaics Havering get about -8% of their revenue from Parking Charges and various Fines, That ism about £17-20m a year. TBH that seems quite modest.
The US issue is that US enforcement is done almost at a village level (18k police organisations) and when they see a revenue source of people who are just passing through, they milk it furiously. Plus of course there is no decent regulation in that arena.
Here is a photo from this week. This is pavement parked vans entirely blocking a bus stop on a main road which up until the 1990s was the A38, outside a primary school, up against the white zig-zags for a zebra crossing -0 you can see the Belisha Beacons. All of the houses on that side at that point have big driveways. One school entrance is just beyond the zebra, the other is on a cul-de-sac behind where I stood to take the photo.
Just the usual selfish c**ts who think their antisocial behaviour does not matter. It is a huge problem locally.
I not only think pavement parking is wrong as it puts at risks parents with prams and disabled people but it should be legally enforced
Its legal if there's no restrictions like double yellow lines or painted bus stop etc and there's none there in that picture that I can see.
Why not just paint the lines if you don't want people parking there?
As an assessment that's about right for that location, Bart.
Introducing lines would require a Traffic Regulation Order costing 5-10k, and the money and staff do not exist - local authorities having been gutted. That's before we get on to the LHA now being run by Ref UK, which I think will be problematic.
There are a lot of barnacles the Govt could take off the boat, such as to allow enforcement 20m either side of a bus stop sign, or to (this would be a big one) reverse the "can't park where there are markings" to be "can only park where there are markings".
Putting it in Op SNAP and standardising / resourcing that would be the most efficient tactical measure.
Actually you've pinpointed precisely why this is so ridiculous, why the hell would it cost £5k-£10k to paint two small lines?
You could hire someone full time minimum wage for 10 - 20 weeks at that cost. There is not 10 - 20 weeks of full time work involved there.
This is the problem, the amount of waste and red tape to get Councils to do anything whatsoever.
OT. Interesting piece of polling on 'Today' which will appear in the Observer tomorrow. Only 6% are where Kemi is ie go in all guns blazing with the Americans
That is not her position
She supports action when and if our military come under attack from Iranian missiles
Indeed Lammy arrived on the same page yesterday
Yesterday US B1s landed in UK, and are authorised by Starmer to use our air bases in their war v Iran
Rachel Sylvester said simply that only 6% were where Kemi is whereas despite the UK press SKS following a rules based order is pretty well where the country is. Voters see broad brush strokes. Incidentally that wasn't Lammy's position. It was the Daily Mail misleading. They asked him what the British should do if attacked. Which shouldn't have given rise to their headline
David Lammy was interviewed across the media and your attempt to dismiss the story as misleading is simply you being misleading
Identical positions? Kemi is NOT coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung-Ho? 🥹
Little Miss Angry today -
“Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers and plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on, even though our allies had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally. “Even now, he is sitting on the fence, still deciding what our role is going to be in this war. We are in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not. It's time to act.”
The Sunday Newspapers need a poll “do you agree with Big G, Kemi is not coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung Ho?”
Kemi hitting a nerve and is serious about protecting our military who are in direct line of fire
She is right to say that the RAF will attack Iranian missile launch sites if they are a threat to our planes
Seems Lammy agrees as well
Poll the public on my second sentence and see the response
Striking a nerve. That’s exactly my point.
Why Little Miss Angry should be more careful here, her SCATHING ATTACKS on Labour are coming across as scathing attacks on the UK military, whilst they are in the field.
I respectfully disagree, not least because labour have been woeful and deserve criticism
The Navy ship deployment to Cyprus is simply a farce of unimaginable stupidity with the work force under union orders only to work 9 - 5, 5 days a week !!!!!!!!!!!!
Starmer bans US use of British bases following pressure from Miliband and then someone leaks this from the NSC, and within 48 hours Starmer changes his mind allowing B1s to land and take off on mission to Iran from RAF Fairford and B52s from Diego Garcia
Lammy then comes on the media in broadcast interviews and agrees with Kemi that the UK can attack Iran if our military are threatened
And you want the government to have a free pass !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who privatised the naval port? That wasn't SKS...
The public perception of this debacle will not come down to who owns the port but the sheer unpreparedness we were for this eventuality
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
You know who else has come up short on the alliances and relationships side of diplomacy, and not just this week?
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
In any sane universe, rather than this sim, that alone would be sufficient for the 25th.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
The U.S. is sending a 3rd aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The USS George H.W. Bush will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
Polling is pretty consistent. More people sceptical of the war like Sadiq than in favour like Farage. Regurgitating twatter doesn't change that.
"COVID was bad, I’ve never denied that. But my feeling is that it’s precisely because it was so bad that we deserved a better Inquiry than we got, one with the scientific background to understand the underlying processes which our politicians were forced to react to, and one being prepared to reflect on and acknowledge its own mistakes."
"Like I say, the COVID Inquiry feels like a missed chance to ask some of the questions that we should have asked at the time, and that’s why I find it frustrating."
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
The U.S. is sending a 3rd aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The USS George H.W. Bush will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford
That’s the next stage of a concerted effort to get the oil flowing.
OT. Interesting piece of polling on 'Today' which will appear in the Observer tomorrow. Only 6% are where Kemi is ie go in all guns blazing with the Americans
That is not her position
She supports action when and if our military come under attack from Iranian missiles
Indeed Lammy arrived on the same page yesterday
Yesterday US B1s landed in UK, and are authorised by Starmer to use our air bases in their war v Iran
Rachel Sylvester said simply that only 6% were where Kemi is whereas despite the UK press SKS following a rules based order is pretty well where the country is. Voters see broad brush strokes. Incidentally that wasn't Lammy's position. It was the Daily Mail misleading. They asked him what the British should do if attacked. Which shouldn't have given rise to their headline
David Lammy was interviewed across the media and your attempt to dismiss the story as misleading is simply you being misleading
Identical positions? Kemi is NOT coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung-Ho? 🥹
Little Miss Angry today -
“Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers and plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on, even though our allies had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally. “Even now, he is sitting on the fence, still deciding what our role is going to be in this war. We are in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not. It's time to act.”
The Sunday Newspapers need a poll “do you agree with Big G, Kemi is not coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung Ho?”
Kemi hitting a nerve and is serious about protecting our military who are in direct line of fire
She is right to say that the RAF will attack Iranian missile launch sites if they are a threat to our planes
Seems Lammy agrees as well
Poll the public on my second sentence and see the response
Striking a nerve. That’s exactly my point.
Why Little Miss Angry should be more careful here, her SCATHING ATTACKS on Labour are coming across as scathing attacks on the UK military, whilst they are in the field.
I respectfully disagree, not least because labour have been woeful and deserve criticism
The Navy ship deployment to Cyprus is simply a farce of unimaginable stupidity with the work force under union orders only to work 9 - 5, 5 days a week !!!!!!!!!!!!
Starmer bans US use of British bases following pressure from Miliband and then someone leaks this from the NSC, and within 48 hours Starmer changes his mind allowing B1s to land and take off on mission to Iran from RAF Fairford and B52s from Diego Garcia
Lammy then comes on the media in broadcast interviews and agrees with Kemi that the UK can attack Iran if our military are threatened
And you want the government to have a free pass !!!!!!!!!!!!!
And with equal respect, Big G - whilst you are expending all this energy trying to convince PB the Tory and Lab positions are identical on Trumps War, Little Miss Angry is out there convincing the UK voters there is a GULF OF CLEAR BLUE WATER between Tories and government on this WAR.
You don’t say a boat took too long to get in the med because it was stuck in refit, by pointing out Bevin in 1950 was patriotic, but Labour is not patriotic anymore - that is two different things. How else do you interpret it?
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
You know who else has come up short on the alliances and relationships side of diplomacy, and not just this week?
The American sense of entitlement this last few days has been breathtaking. Allies it has insulted and threatened repeatedly over the past year, now expected to come running to its aid.
They are incapable of reading the room. Any room. As, it seems are some of their fans.
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
OT. Interesting piece of polling on 'Today' which will appear in the Observer tomorrow. Only 6% are where Kemi is ie go in all guns blazing with the Americans
That is not her position
She supports action when and if our military come under attack from Iranian missiles
Indeed Lammy arrived on the same page yesterday
Yesterday US B1s landed in UK, and are authorised by Starmer to use our air bases in their war v Iran
Rachel Sylvester said simply that only 6% were where Kemi is whereas despite the UK press SKS following a rules based order is pretty well where the country is. Voters see broad brush strokes. Incidentally that wasn't Lammy's position. It was the Daily Mail misleading. They asked him what the British should do if attacked. Which shouldn't have given rise to their headline
David Lammy was interviewed across the media and your attempt to dismiss the story as misleading is simply you being misleading
Identical positions? Kemi is NOT coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung-Ho? 🥹
Little Miss Angry today -
“Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers and plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on, even though our allies had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally. “Even now, he is sitting on the fence, still deciding what our role is going to be in this war. We are in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not. It's time to act.”
The Sunday Newspapers need a poll “do you agree with Big G, Kemi is not coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung Ho?”
Kemi hitting a nerve and is serious about protecting our military who are in direct line of fire
She is right to say that the RAF will attack Iranian missile launch sites if they are a threat to our planes
Seems Lammy agrees as well
Poll the public on my second sentence and see the response
Striking a nerve. That’s exactly my point.
Why Little Miss Angry should be more careful here, her SCATHING ATTACKS on Labour are coming across as scathing attacks on the UK military, whilst they are in the field.
I respectfully disagree, not least because labour have been woeful and deserve criticism
The Navy ship deployment to Cyprus is simply a farce of unimaginable stupidity with the work force under union orders only to work 9 - 5, 5 days a week !!!!!!!!!!!!
Starmer bans US use of British bases following pressure from Miliband and then someone leaks this from the NSC, and within 48 hours Starmer changes his mind allowing B1s to land and take off on mission to Iran from RAF Fairford and B52s from Diego Garcia
Lammy then comes on the media in broadcast interviews and agrees with Kemi that the UK can attack Iran if our military are threatened
And you want the government to have a free pass !!!!!!!!!!!!!
And with equal respect, Big G - whilst you are expending all this energy trying to convince PB the Tory and Lab positions are identical on Trumps War, Little Miss Angry is out there convincing the UK voters there is a GULF OF CLEAR BLUE WATER between Tories and government on this WAR.
You don’t say a boat took too long to get in the med because it was stuck in refit, by pointing out Bevin in 1950 was patriotic, but Labour is not patriotic anymore - that is two different things. How else do you interpret it?
I simply respectfully disagree with you on this, but I provide my own view as honestly as I see it and of courss many will not be persuaded
I would add refering to Kemi as little miss angry and using capitals will not change my view
OT. Interesting piece of polling on 'Today' which will appear in the Observer tomorrow. Only 6% are where Kemi is ie go in all guns blazing with the Americans
That is not her position
She supports action when and if our military come under attack from Iranian missiles
Indeed Lammy arrived on the same page yesterday
Yesterday US B1s landed in UK, and are authorised by Starmer to use our air bases in their war v Iran
Rachel Sylvester said simply that only 6% were where Kemi is whereas despite the UK press SKS following a rules based order is pretty well where the country is. Voters see broad brush strokes. Incidentally that wasn't Lammy's position. It was the Daily Mail misleading. They asked him what the British should do if attacked. Which shouldn't have given rise to their headline
David Lammy was interviewed across the media and your attempt to dismiss the story as misleading is simply you being misleading
Identical positions? Kemi is NOT coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung-Ho? 🥹
Little Miss Angry today -
“Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers and plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on, even though our allies had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally. “Even now, he is sitting on the fence, still deciding what our role is going to be in this war. We are in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not. It's time to act.”
The Sunday Newspapers need a poll “do you agree with Big G, Kemi is not coming across as Pro Trumps War and Gung Ho?”
Kemi hitting a nerve and is serious about protecting our military who are in direct line of fire
She is right to say that the RAF will attack Iranian missile launch sites if they are a threat to our planes
Seems Lammy agrees as well
Poll the public on my second sentence and see the response
Striking a nerve. That’s exactly my point.
Why Little Miss Angry should be more careful here, her SCATHING ATTACKS on Labour are coming across as scathing attacks on the UK military, whilst they are in the field.
I respectfully disagree, not least because labour have been woeful and deserve criticism
The Navy ship deployment to Cyprus is simply a farce of unimaginable stupidity with the work force under union orders only to work 9 - 5, 5 days a week !!!!!!!!!!!!
Starmer bans US use of British bases following pressure from Miliband and then someone leaks this from the NSC, and within 48 hours Starmer changes his mind allowing B1s to land and take off on mission to Iran from RAF Fairford and B52s from Diego Garcia
Lammy then comes on the media in broadcast interviews and agrees with Kemi that the UK can attack Iran if our military are threatened
And you want the government to have a free pass !!!!!!!!!!!!!
And with equal respect, Big G - whilst you are expending all this energy trying to convince PB the Tory and Lab positions are identical on Trumps War, Little Miss Angry is out there convincing the UK voters there is a GULF OF CLEAR BLUE WATER between Tories and government on this WAR.
You don’t say a boat took too long to get in the med because it was stuck in refit, by pointing out Bevin in 1950 was patriotic, but Labour is not patriotic anymore - that is two different things. How else do you interpret it?
I simply respectfully disagree with you on this, but I provide my own view as honestly as I see it and of courss many will not be persuaded
I would add refering to Kemi as little miss angry and using capitals will not change my view
Something shocking happened this week: Bureaucrats approved a project ahead of schedule. Even better, it was for a nuclear project that promises to make energy production safer and cleaner than traditional reactors. The government still holds back America’s nuclear industry too much, but it’s a victory worth celebrating.
With a unanimous vote, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction on a new reactor in Wyoming. It was the first approval in nearly a decade.
(One of the things that interests me about the design is that it might work well with wind power -- of which there is a lot in Wyoming. In principle, it could let the coolant warm up when there is surplus wind power, rather than generating electricity.) https://www.terrapower.com/
Bill Gates is also working to revive Three Mile Island to provide power for a data center.
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Not at my age
How are we not in this game as you call it when are military and personnel are active in the arena?
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Haven't Qatar and the UAE already reported Iranian attacks today?
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Couched behind unfailing politeness @Big_G_NorthWales has become one of the most partizan posters on this board recently. You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post. Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting as a result.
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Haven't Qatar and the UAE already reported Iranian attacks today?
What Iran actually said was they wont fire at Middle Eastern neighbours unless they fire at them first including the use of US bases. So basically that they will fire at them but are sorry they are doing so, rather than a promise of surrender and ceasefire.
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Haven't Qatar and the UAE already reported Iranian attacks today?
Yes. Dubai airport, totally civilian field, was hit at 7am today. Not in any way a military target.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
I understand the most likely individual to become Supreme Leader in Iran is Sheikh Anvac who has the biggest carpet cleaning business on the Middle East.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
Starmer is going to give the bases away and pay Cyprus for the privilege, isn’t he?
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Couched behind unfailing politeness @Big_G_NorthWales has become one of the most partizan posters on this board recently. You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post. Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting.
As long as I am seen as polite I am grateful
I do not like abuse or personal insults as we should all be encouraged to debate and disagree
I would just say I really am not that intense, and that I have been known in the past to wind people up for fun [ask my wife] but I hope we all agree that one way or another this war has to stop
I maybe should add I was asked when I was 22 to stand for the conservatives in the old Caernarfonshire Council [1966] but declined as I wanted to remain outside politics
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
Trump spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on the phone and told her that liberating the Iranian people is not a goal of the war. Trump said he’d be happy to install an undemocratic religious leader so long as they treat the U.S. and Israel “fairly” https://x.com/loffredojeremy/status/2030154629049110712
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Couched behind unfailing politeness @Big_G_NorthWales has become one of the most partizan posters on this board recently. You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post. Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting as a result.
Once you start on that family voting it’s a terrible slippery slope?
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
Starmer is going to give the bases away and pay Cyprus for the privilege, isn’t he?
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
I assume they are a big employer on the island
Farming within the area and the ancilliary services to the installations yeah. The agreement from 1960 prevents the UK building up the area beyond the needs of support of the bases or having a civilian airport or seaport
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
It's the £300m plus annual cost that's the issue. While we were welcome and a source of stability, no one really questioned it.
If Cyprus starts seriously questioning our presence, that might change.
I understand the most likely individual to become Supreme Leader in Iran is Sheikh Anvac who has the biggest carpet cleaning business on the Middle East.
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
Starmer is going to give the bases away and pay Cyprus for the privilege, isn’t he?
Probably not.
He probably should. The SBA is nothing more than a very expensive fucking target.
It's another one of the gross distortions in the UK's defensive posture which guzzles cash at the expense of things that might actually be useful for defending the country. It also, like the carriers and Trident, can't be scrapped due to English vanity and neurosis.
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Couched behind unfailing politeness @Big_G_NorthWales has become one of the most partizan posters on this board recently. You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post. Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting as a result.
HYUFD doesn't hide the fact that he's a Tory, but he has always avoided the spin lines. That's why he's one of the most valuable contributors to the site. No one has a better insight into the workings of the party than he does; I would tend towards the Kemi is likely to be ditched post-May, rather than that she will lead the Tories into the next election school of thought, because of what HYUFD has had to say on the question.
Having said that, I tend to pay less attention to him when he's talking about subjects other than the Tory Party.
Trump spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on the phone and told her that liberating the Iranian people is not a goal of the war. Trump said he’d be happy to install an undemocratic religious leader so long as they treat the U.S. and Israel “fairly” https://x.com/loffredojeremy/status/2030154629049110712
Well, given what he seems to be doing in the US, that's not too surprising!
Trump spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on the phone and told her that liberating the Iranian people is not a goal of the war. Trump said he’d be happy to install an undemocratic religious leader so long as they treat the U.S. and Israel “fairly” https://x.com/loffredojeremy/status/2030154629049110712
Well, given what he seems to be doing in the US, that's not too surprising!
Some Minnesotans might disagree that they are being treated fairly. Or at least they might were they still alive......
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
It's the £300m plus annual cost that's the issue. While we were welcome and a source of stability, no one really questioned it.
If Cyprus starts seriously questioning our presence, that might change.
Maybe. But they are British territory so we could just say 'thanks but no thanks' to any proposed change Theyve made a fuss before when there has been troubke in the ME and then dropped it
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
F1: Ok, was hoping the markets would be up by now... but they're not. So I'm going to leave for a bit and post the pre-race ramble in the later afternoon/evening.
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
Because Labour has caught the weakness contagion from him. It suffers from the Starmer Enfeeblement. It just can't do what it is required to do.
Trump spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on the phone and told her that liberating the Iranian people is not a goal of the war. Trump said he’d be happy to install an undemocratic religious leader so long as they treat the U.S. and Israel “fairly” https://x.com/loffredojeremy/status/2030154629049110712
Well, given what he seems to be doing in the US, that's not too surprising!
Some Minnesotans might disagree that they are being treated fairly. Or at least they might were they still alive......
Trump's definition of 'fairness' and other, more rational, people's might not be the same.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
Agreed completely. These aren't poor countries and have plenty of scope to raise revenue. Learn to defend yourself and stop whining about the lack of support from a country a continent away from you.
I agree with the point made about the UK investing more in our defence, but there's clearly other countries who need to learn that lesson a lot harder and faster
A lesson for many wealthy nations on Europe vis a Vis the US?
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
Labour might be making a mistake in thinking they can bounce back in the same way the Tories did after the European elections in 2019. Losing their domestic power base is much more serious than losing in a protest vote that didn’t really matter.
Picking up the parking fine conversation I missed from earlier, afaics Havering get about -8% of their revenue from Parking Charges and various Fines, That ism about £17-20m a year. TBH that seems quite modest.
The US issue is that US enforcement is done almost at a village level (18k police organisations) and when they see a revenue source of people who are just passing through, they milk it furiously. Plus of course there is no decent regulation in that arena.
Here is a photo from this week. This is pavement parked vans entirely blocking a bus stop on a main road which up until the 1990s was the A38, outside a primary school, up against the white zig-zags for a zebra crossing -0 you can see the Belisha Beacons. All of the houses on that side at that point have big driveways. One school entrance is just beyond the zebra, the other is on a cul-de-sac behind where I stood to take the photo.
Just the usual selfish c**ts who think their antisocial behaviour does not matter. It is a huge problem locally.
I not only think pavement parking is wrong as it puts at risks parents with prams and disabled people but it should be legally enforced
Its legal if there's no restrictions like double yellow lines or painted bus stop etc and there's none there in that picture that I can see.
Why not just paint the lines if you don't want people parking there?
As an assessment that's about right for that location, Bart.
Introducing lines would require a Traffic Regulation Order costing 5-10k, and the money and staff do not exist - local authorities having been gutted. That's before we get on to the LHA now being run by Ref UK, which I think will be problematic.
There are a lot of barnacles the Govt could take off the boat, such as to allow enforcement 20m either side of a bus stop sign, or to (this would be a big one) reverse the "can't park where there are markings" to be "can only park where there are markings".
Putting it in Op SNAP and standardising / resourcing that would be the most efficient tactical measure.
Actually you've pinpointed precisely why this is so ridiculous, why the hell would it cost £5k-£10k to paint two small lines?
You could hire someone full time minimum wage for 10 - 20 weeks at that cost. There is not 10 - 20 weeks of full time work involved there.
This is the problem, the amount of waste and red tape to get Councils to do anything whatsoever.
I tend to agree, however if the Is and Ts are not dotted and crossed to the max, Mr Pavement Parker Shufflebotham with engage M'learned friend Mr Loophole and there will be a massive legal battle over dots and tittles. *
I'm interested though, so I'll take this example to the People Powered Streets Discord, where there will be people who know the detail better than I do around costs and regs, and report back later or tomorrow. My number is my cost of a TRO based on various examples of schemes. I'll find out how much of that is process - I expect a fair bit is consultation; there may be an exemption for something this minor.
* As, for example, the action where Mr Loophole got Iain Dale off his second driving ban (until his next offence aiui) in about a decade, where the speed limit sign was too small by regulations.
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
Because Labour has caught the weakness contagion from him. It suffers from the Starmer Enfeeblement. It just can't do what it is required to do.
There is that. But I think it's more that they've got nobody else.
Keir Starmer is right to stand up to Donald Trump over Iran.
While the brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied, this war is not the right course of action.
He is, rightly or wrongly, getting lots of support. Just probably not from the people you listen to.
This is typical of the type of response he's getting:
"But, Sadiq, Starmer isn’t ‘standing up’ to Trump: an American B-1 Lancer Bomber has already been photographed landed at RAF Fairford and more are to come."
"This is why Labour are hated. The entire premise of this letter is a lie. Starmer has given the US permission to use British bases to attack Iran. British forces are defending the US and Israeli military attacking Iran. We are not, in any way, “standing up to Trump”. Just lies."
You do realise that social media, even quality social media, isn't representative of the views of the public?
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
To be honest I expect the public are very worried and just want it all to go away
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
..Eh! This is spin that could have come out of CCHQ. Have you considered a role there?
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Couched behind unfailing politeness @Big_G_NorthWales has become one of the most partizan posters on this board recently. You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post. Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting as a result.
HYUFD doesn't hide the fact that he's a Tory, but he has always avoided the spin lines. That's why he's one of the most valuable contributors to the site. No one has a better insight into the workings of the party than he does; I would tend towards the Kemi is likely to be ditched post-May, rather than that she will lead the Tories into the next election school of thought, because of what HYUFD has had to say on the question.
Having said that, I tend to pay less attention to him when he's talking about subjects other than the Tory Party.
I would just say that @HYUFD has not published or commented on the recent Conhome poll of members of the shadow cabinet that shows Kemi on 81.6 and Cleverly on 31.9
This does not suit his narrative and is largely why I believe she will survive the May polling
And I haven't attempted to hide that I support the conservatives but am not a little englander in my attitude
Looking at the bigger picture how long before wars are mostly fought by AI driven robots? Can't be far off. At that point the perceived downside of war for those who think they have the best bots will be significantly diminished and we shall descend into either anarchy or a world of masters and slaves.
The U.S. is sending a 3rd aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. The USS George H.W. Bush will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford
That’s the next stage of a concerted effort to get the oil flowing.
Hoping your sirens have fallen silent.
Not sure you can be entirely certain the message has got out to all parts of the disparate Iranian empire though. I'd give it a day or two before thinking normality applies.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
I get the impression it's Starmer personally who is disliked. Not necessarily Labour. It's almost the opposite to the dog days of the Tories. And why a change needs to happen sooner, rather than later.
France sends aircraft. The UK sends buses and tax forms. Thank you, France, for standing bravely with us. The UAE will not forget this moment when France stood by our side against Iran’s drones and missile aggression. And we will remember those who sent empty promises… and paperwork.
What a twattish comment by that Emirati considering that the UK has had planes up covering the wider area - the joint RAF/Qatar squadron for example. It’s not all about the precious UAE.
Maybe if the Emiratis paid a bit of tax they could cover the cost of training and equipping more planes so they don’t have to rely on other countries.
So what exactly did the UAE do to deserve 1,500 drones and missiles fired at it in the past week?
They have 40+ Mir2k and 50+ late model Viper. Why are they begging for help from other countries? That's the real question.
They’re not begging for help.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
There appear to be vested interests in different places of overlooking what the UK has done and is doing - crazy amounts of attention on one drone in Cyprus - beneficiaries; certain Cypriot actors, the French flexing in the Med etc. maybe the UK should be shouting louder about how much air cover they are giving now and in the past but it feels like quite a few players are making more noise than their actions warrant.
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
We should be concentrating on protecting Europe, particularly Ukraine, and also supporting Denmark over threats to Greenland. We should leave the Middle East alone.
Starting with going very hard on any sanctioned russian-aligned vessel within a hundred miles of European waters, to make absolutely damn sure they don’t benefit from oil prices rising.
Our navy will be more useful in that role that pretending we are still Billy Bigtime in the Mediterranean.
For all the mockery @MoonRabbit has received (some of it not entirely undeserved), she might end up being correct that this will be the writing in the wall for our Cyprus bases.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
They are a bit more than just bases. 100 square miles of land and 18,000 plus people living within the areas.
I assume they are a big employer on the island
Farming within the area and the ancilliary services to the installations yeah. The agreement from 1960 prevents the UK building up the area beyond the needs of support of the bases or having a civilian airport or seaport
Sell it to Trump as real estate. He ain't gonna worry about a few awkward covenants...
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
I get the impression it's Starmer personally who is disliked. Not necessarily Labour. It's almost the opposite to the dog days of the Tories. And why a change needs to happen sooner, rather than later.
Yes, I agree. I reckon Labour could recover quite substantially - by 5 points in the polls, at least - if they get rid of Starmer. He is LOATHED. He is seen by the right as a traitor and by the left as a rightwing stooge. There is no coming back from this, plus the voice and persona and his weird personal attachment to doomed or disastrous policies, from assisted suicide to Chagos. PLUS the terrible errors, all the time
But, as you say, the longer Labour delays this necessary regicide the more Starmer will infect the entire Labour brand, fatally
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
Because Labour has caught the weakness contagion from him. It suffers from the Starmer Enfeeblement. It just can't do what it is required to do.
There is that. But I think it's more that they've got nobody else.
There is that. Nobody that the lost voters will take to at least.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time. In fact you can download openm weight AI model for this and get it running in less than hour.
Where as here, Khan is boasting that the London Underground now has mobile internet on 50% of the network....then I think about sitting on the Singapore metro with 300 Mbps last year
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Just had the Lib Dems knock me up for the CC election.we had a bit of a chat and he fully 'bar charted' me on the wards prospects
Did you explain that you are probably more politically aware than he is?
Lets just say we disagreed on the likely outcome. Their literature is using some very out of date EC data for North Norfolk to push the LD vs Reform here message. The current data is somewhat different. Nice chat though and we agreed Reform losing is the required result.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
About as far off thread as you can get, but has anyone else noticed the extraordinary score line from the Womens WC qualifying match in which Bosnia-H are leading Lichtenstein 10-1.....at half time! Makes you wonder if some longstanding records are about to be broken.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
About as far off thread as you can get, but has anyone else noticed the extraordinary score line from the Womens WC qualifying match in which Bosnia-H are leading Lichtenstein 10-1.....at half time! Makes you wonder if some longstanding records are about to be broken.
This video divulges easily identifiable features of the building in which this repair centre is based. This location should be considered compromised and the repair centre should be immediately relocated.
I understand the most likely individual to become Supreme Leader in Iran is Sheikh Anvac who has the biggest carpet cleaning business on the Middle East.
I’d heard it was a friend of Farage who was going to get the job - Mustapha Phag.
Jesus. Sobering encounter with my cheerful cockney neighbour
She has a late 30s son with a young family. Wife and two tiny kids. Aged 4 and 1. All good - but began to feel oddly unwell later last year. Still nothing serious. January he was diagnosed with multiple cancers and now has “a few months to live”
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
Because Labour has caught the weakness contagion from him. It suffers from the Starmer Enfeeblement. It just can't do what it is required to do.
It's because Labour has observed the behaviour of the Tories, and taken their current predicament as a warning.
Also, that it's just hard to get rid of him under their party rules,
He'll go eventually, but I suspect will cling on for longer than expected/wishcast by Leon,
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
Concept is the same, just for adults rather than kids with more modern tech available to support it.
That's a bit like saying e-scooter (that the Chinese are also dominating) same same as a push bike. The Chinese are brilliant at taking an idea and pushing things forward at rate of knots.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
They really do. Superbly
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
One really useful quality of life thing I found, real time loading of metro carriages. So about 1min before the metro arrives, up comes information telling you how many % each car is full, so you then go and stand at a door that is for the less busy carriages.
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time.
Yes, they are absolutely mastering urban and nationwide transport. The airports are astonishing
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Actually air travel is the biggest weakness in China. Reliability is actually quite bad compared to say a EasyJet. The reason is that Chinese civilian aircraft are only allowed to fly in quite narrow corridors, most of China airspace is restricted, so it causes quite a lot of issues at the moment. And the Chinese love to close bits of it for random reasons.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
Jesus. Sobering encounter with my cheerful cockney neighbour
She has a late 30s son with a young family. Wife and two tiny kids. Aged 4 and 1. All good - but began to feel oddly unwell later last year. Still nothing serious. January he was diagnosed with multiple cancers and now has “a few months to live”
Those poor kids! His poor wife…
Eat drink and be merry, PB
I lost a colleague like that.
Larger than life, OK at his job, smoker.
One day he was not responding. His mum travelled to check up, and found him in bed, dead, having had a massive coronary in his sleep.
Drinks and rugby at the pub with a fairly loyalist Labour voter, last night
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
I get the impression it's Starmer personally who is disliked. Not necessarily Labour. It's almost the opposite to the dog days of the Tories. And why a change needs to happen sooner, rather than later.
Yes, I agree. I reckon Labour could recover quite substantially - by 5 points in the polls, at least - if they get rid of Starmer. He is LOATHED. He is seen by the right as a traitor and by the left as a rightwing stooge. There is no coming back from this, plus the voice and persona and his weird personal attachment to doomed or disastrous policies, from assisted suicide to Chagos. PLUS the terrible errors, all the time
But, as you say, the longer Labour delays this necessary regicide the more Starmer will infect the entire Labour brand, fatally
There is absolutely no logical reason who Starmer is so loathed.
There is nothing in his personality that is evil, nasty,. His career record, record as Leader prior the becoming PM is certainly not worthy of the hate.
He inherited a broken Country broken economy, broken trust in Politics broken trust with EU, broken public services.
Early decisions on pensioners and a few other issues did not help.
He has played Trump on tariffs better than anyone, bar none, aided by what Mandy had on Trump and Epstein.
Why the vitriolic hatred?
Simple a concerted news media campaign from day 1,GB News Sky, ITN, BBC especially orchestrated by Robbie Gibb and 90% of the print media mostly complete lies
Just as the economy turned things improve Trump starts WW3... What do re media do.. Attack Starmer and gloat, fucking gloat that it may cause economic turmoil.
So what happens next, well we all know Farage, Badenoch and Polanski get an easy ride, none of them handle what lite pressure from the media that they get.
So all we ask is they get treated the same as Starmer, or the next Labour leader gets treated the same easier way they are.
Jesus. Sobering encounter with my cheerful cockney neighbour
She has a late 30s son with a young family. Wife and two tiny kids. Aged 4 and 1. All good - but began to feel oddly unwell later last year. Still nothing serious. January he was diagnosed with multiple cancers and now has “a few months to live”
Those poor kids! His poor wife…
Eat drink and be merry, PB
Disappointed you didn't canvass her opinions on the ME conflagration. Or Starmer for that matter.
Comments
You could hire someone full time minimum wage for 10 - 20 weeks at that cost. There is not 10 - 20 weeks of full time work involved there.
This is the problem, the amount of waste and red tape to get Councils to do anything whatsoever.
But they are noticing who’s offering help.
Diplomacy is about alliances and relationships, and the UK has very much come up short this week.
https://x.com/tweetciiiim/status/2030170519845155075?s=20
Hot dog...not hot dog.
The Chinese really embrace technology and ultimate move fast and break stuff.
https://bsky.app/profile/sundersays.bsky.social/post/3mggclrtvo224
Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse! Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
And that X dot com is even less representative than most SM?
You do realise that... don't you?
Julian Jessop
@julianHjessop
Great letter in today's FT on the ICJ's Chagos "ruling", by a proper lawyer... 👇
https://x.com/julianHjessop/status/2030233460376215618
Don’t forget we also have commitments in Northern Europe, the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic which other countries don’t have or aren’t helping with.
How are the UAE helping in Ukraine? Have they provided planes, missiles, training etc?
Private Eye. Sorry if already posted
https://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers/cover-1670
Unfortunately, that is not where we are as we did not join the attacks by the US and Israel, but those attacks has had serious military and economic knock ons for the region and all of us
Iran response by spraying missiles across the middle east indiscriminately to friend and foe required an immediate response to defend our interests in the area and those of our allies
This is where the issue of defensive v offensive is dancing on a pin head
We are active in the arena shooting down drones and missiles, but as of now we have not lost personal or any aircraft but we have to have the right to target Iranian missile sites in the eventuality they are a threat to our aircraft
This is essentially Kemi's position from day one, but labour got caught up with internal cabinet disputes and legalities that initially made Starmer rule out UK bases but then in probably Starmer's biggest U turn allowed the use of these bases by US to attack Iran
The question defensive or offensive has been overtaken by events
You don’t say a boat took too long to get in the med because it was stuck in refit, by pointing out Bevin in 1950 was patriotic, but Labour is not patriotic anymore - that is two different things. How else do you interpret it?
They are incapable of reading the room. Any room. As, it seems are some of their fans.
We are not in the game and are not needed. It’s plain that suggesting anything other than minor support is showboating.
Here are the confirmation for the 4 Thaad systems Taken out by Iran
Saudi Prince Sultan Air base - 24.074218, 47.681327
UAE - 24.677595, 54.697818 Abu Dhabi
24.061942, 52.717325 Al Ruwais
Jordan Muwaffaq Salti Air Base 31.801428, 36.758280
https://x.com/MerruX/status/2029999196212695522
The US has twelve in total.
About a billion a pop.
Some argument over whether all of these were actually destroyed. One seems certain.
I would add refering to Kemi as little miss angry and using capitals will not change my view
source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/06/terrapower-advanced-nuclear-energy-nrc-approval/
(One of the things that interests me about the design is that it might work well with wind power -- of which there is a lot in Wyoming. In principle, it could let the coolant warm up when there is surplus wind power, rather than generating electricity.)
https://www.terrapower.com/
Bill Gates is also working to revive Three Mile Island to provide power for a data center.
I'd rather not if it's OK with youse.
How are we not in this game as you call it when are military and personnel are active in the arena?
Heaven knows how bad his replacement might be.
FDA’s Controversial Vaccines Chief Will Leave the Agency
Dr. Vinay Prasad will depart in April, after a year leading the division that approves vaccines and biotech drugs
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/fdas-controversial-vaccines-chief-will-leave-the-agency-7fe59aa3?st=CAwWMd&reflink=article_copyURL_share
You could read CCHQ media to know what he's about to post.
Strange as @HYUFD has drifted the other way in the past couple of years and become far more interesting as a result.
Particularly if the Treasury can't conjure up a large increase in the defence budget.
I do not like abuse or personal insults as we should all be encouraged to debate and disagree
I would just say I really am not that intense, and that I have been known in the past to wind people up for fun [ask my wife] but I hope we all agree that one way or another this war has to stop
I maybe should add I was asked when I was 22 to stand for the conservatives in the old Caernarfonshire Council [1966] but declined as I wanted to remain outside politics
Trump spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash on the phone and told her that liberating the Iranian people is not a goal of the war. Trump said he’d be happy to install an undemocratic religious leader so long as they treat the U.S. and Israel “fairly”
https://x.com/loffredojeremy/status/2030154629049110712
While we were welcome and a source of stability, no one really questioned it.
If Cyprus starts seriously questioning our presence, that might change.
It's another one of the gross distortions in the UK's defensive posture which guzzles cash at the expense of things that might actually be useful for defending the country. It also, like the carriers and Trident, can't be scrapped due to English vanity and neurosis.
Having said that, I tend to pay less attention to him when he's talking about subjects other than the Tory Party.
Theyve made a fuss before when there has been troubke in the ME and then dropped it
We skirted the many many subjects we disagree on (this gets harder as politics polarises) but there was one area we vehemently concurred. Starmer. Starmer HAS to go. In my view Starmer has to go because he is a dim, vain, despicable, hypocritical lefty quisling, with no redeeming personal characteristics, and a voice that can turn to elves to stone at forty paces. In my friend's view he has to go because is a naff embarrassing loser with no ideas and negative charm, and Labour cannot begin to recover until he's out the door
It was an interesting overlap
Starmer is hated by everyone. How can he endure?
I'm interested though, so I'll take this example to the People Powered Streets Discord, where there will be people who know the detail better than I do around costs and regs, and report back later or tomorrow. My number is my cost of a TRO based on various examples of schemes. I'll find out how much of that is process - I expect a fair bit is consultation; there may be an exemption for something this minor.
* As, for example, the action where Mr Loophole got Iain Dale off his second driving ban (until his next offence aiui) in about a decade, where the speed limit sign was too small by regulations.
This does not suit his narrative and is largely why I believe she will survive the May polling
And I haven't attempted to hide that I support the conservatives but am not a little englander in my attitude
https://conservativehome.com/2026/03/05/shadow-cabinet-league-table-badenoch-may-not-be-popular-with-starmer-but-shes-dominant-with-conservatives/
Not sure you can be entirely certain the message has got out to all parts of the disparate Iranian empire though. I'd give it a day or two before thinking normality applies.
It's still clearly a middle income economy, once you look at where and how people actually live. They live in vast apartment blocks, not nice European or big American homes
But they are still catching up quick and in tech they are overtaking us
One tiny example: on the Chinese version of Uber - DiDi - you can watch the car coming for you on screen (as with Uber in the west) but the app also shows you when your car is held up by a traffic light, and gives you a real-time update of the traffic light signal, counting down the red from 60 seconds to Green and Go, it is linked in to the urban traffic control system
A tiny tech improvement on the western model, but they make these tiny improvements everywhere all the time and very fast, and they add up
It's almost the opposite to the dog days of the Tories.
And why a change needs to happen sooner, rather than later.
But, as you say, the longer Labour delays this necessary regicide the more Starmer will infect the entire Labour brand, fatally
This is pretty easy to do these days. Computer vision can easily automatically count people in real time. In fact you can download openm weight AI model for this and get it running in less than hour.
Where as here, Khan is boasting that the London Underground now has mobile internet on 50% of the network....then I think about sitting on the Singapore metro with 300 Mbps last year
Wuhan airport alone was ten times bigger and better than Gatwick, or so it felt. And almost everything runs smoothly
Also: light. China does incredible things with urban light. eg on the Pudong skyline the lights in the various skyscrapers are all linked, so they can make it look like a 200 metre high posse of wild horses is cantering along the Huanpe River, from tower to tower, all done by synchronised urban lighting
Nice chat though and we agreed Reform losing is the required result.
The bullet trains on the other hand super reliable.
You are right about the scale though. I don't know if you saw it, but I witnessed quite a few people with cabin baggage that doubled as a ride on scooter. And I thought what a lazy f##k, now where is gate 297....oh shit its like 25 mins walk.
Shenzhen linked building light shows are if anything too much. Everywhere you turn they have them, each group / area seemingly trying to outdo each other for the most impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZYSMbplQk
https://x.com/jimmysecuk/status/2030266262580805795
This video divulges easily identifiable features of the building in which this repair centre is based. This location should be considered compromised and the repair centre should be immediately relocated.
UK preparing aircraft carrier for deployment if required
She has a late 30s son with a young family. Wife and two tiny kids. Aged 4 and 1. All good - but began to feel oddly unwell later last year. Still nothing serious. January he was diagnosed with multiple cancers and now has “a few months to live”
Those poor kids! His poor wife…
Eat drink and be merry, PB
Also, that it's just hard to get rid of him under their party rules,
He'll go eventually, but I suspect will cling on for longer than expected/wishcast by Leon,
/Pedantic Betting.
Larger than life, OK at his job, smoker.
One day he was not responding. His mum travelled to check up, and found him in bed, dead, having had a massive coronary in his sleep.
Again, late 30s.
There is nothing in his personality that is evil, nasty,. His career record, record as Leader prior the becoming PM is certainly not worthy of the hate.
He inherited a broken Country broken economy, broken trust in Politics broken trust with EU, broken public services.
Early decisions on pensioners and a few other issues did not help.
He has played Trump on tariffs better than anyone, bar none, aided by what Mandy had on Trump and Epstein.
Why the vitriolic hatred?
Simple a concerted news media campaign from day 1,GB News Sky, ITN, BBC especially orchestrated by Robbie Gibb and 90% of the print media mostly complete lies
Just as the economy turned things improve Trump starts WW3... What do re media do.. Attack Starmer and gloat, fucking gloat that it may cause economic turmoil.
So what happens next, well we all know Farage, Badenoch and Polanski get an easy ride, none of them handle what lite pressure from the media that they get.
So all we ask is they get treated the same as Starmer, or the next Labour leader gets treated the same easier way they are.
I won't hold my breath
Or Starmer for that matter.